Meeting senseless acts with class
The decency wired into the DNA of so many Oklahomans was evident many times during the weekend. The foremost example may have been the reaction by officials with the nonprofit Dress For Success Oklahoma City after their building was burned by looters.
Dress For Success is part of a global movement whose mission is “to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.”
Specifically, the nonprofit helps low-income women escape poverty. Dress For Success provides clothing and accessories, and offers programs to build the confidence needed to succeed in the workforce.
In a few minutes overnight Saturday, looters destroyed the nonprofit's offices at 1215 N Western.
“Unfortunately, everything we need to operate our day-to-day in serving the women in our community is not salvageable,” the organization said on Twitter. The fire melted computers, used for resumes and job searches, and destroyed clothing.
Yet amid this senseless loss, leaders for Dress For Success urged people not to use the incident “to fuel hateful narratives in Oklahoma City.”
Dress for Success “is not a building,” they said. “We are a group who love our city, and decided 5 years ago to grow this community. Our community is Dress For Success. Our mission will not change. We are still going to equip and empower women.”
The nonprofit said it would rebuild and “come back stronger than ever.” We don't doubt it. Anyone wishing to help in the recovery can go online to https://oklahomacity.dressforsuccess.org.
Another business owner, Gannon Mendez, displayed similar forbearance. Mendez co-owns The Saucee Sicilian food truck, and plans to open a brick-and-mortar shop at NW 16 and Classen. However, those plans took a hit when the store's windows were broken out by looters.
Mendez said on social media his pain was indescribable. But, he added, “please pray for the lost souls that shattered all of our windows and looted our building.”
He wondered why people would destroy property while protesting. However, protests are one thing and vandalism is another. The city saw an excellent example of the former on Sunday, when thousands gathered in northeast Oklahoma City, then walked to the Capitol and eventually made their way downtown. It was peaceful and constructive. When a spray-painter marred a door of the Capitol building, protesters quickly stopped him and then worked to clean the door. At one point, sheriff's deputies in front of the county jail took a knee in solidarity with protesters.
Skirmishes that broke out after nightfall Sunday, prompting Mayor David Holt to institute a dark-todawn curfew for a small area downtown, were the work of another element. State Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, had it right in saying the actions were solely about “eliciting a response from law enforcement.”
Police responded with professionalism and restraint. Victims of this thuggishness did so with grace and class.