Anticipating arrival
Supporters undeterred by security issues, rain
TULSA — Changes in security logistics and a deluge of rain did nothing to deter supporters of President Donald Trump as they waited on Friday outside the BOK Center.
If anything, what they described as minor inconveniences seemed to heighten the group's anticipation for the president's first campaign rally since the nationwide COVID-19 shutdown.
People wearing T- shirts and hats in patriotic colors of red, white and blue could be seen sitting or standing around tent soft he same color at different corners of downtown Tulsa.
When l aw enforcement officers told them they had to move temporarily for security reasons, most did so without grumbling.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum had imposed a curfew for Friday and Saturday nights based on concerns of large crowds downtown and possible "destructive and violent behavior" from an out-of-state group reportedly headed to Tulsa.
However, he rescinded the order after reportedly speaking with the president, who told him the curfew would likely present problems for rally attendees who had been camped outside the B OK Center for days.
Katie Williams and her daughter Darion Williams, of Talihina, said they were simply glad to be there.
"We' ve been walking around but the tents are still there," Katie Williams said. "We've never been to a rally before and we heard that the president is speaking inside and outside. That's exciting."
Her brother-in-law Ben Williams said he drove from Lufkin, Texas, to be part of the rally, though he previously had been to one in Houston, Texas.
"We' re just wandering around trying to get a feel for what's going on. We're just excited to see our president," he said.
The energy at the Houston rally" wasju stu nb eli evable" and there was a "family atmosphere" among Trump supporters from different places," Ben Williams said.
He said people gathered for the Tulsa rally have created that same positive atmosphere. Others shared that assessment.
"It's just fun. People from all different backgrounds are here and we've made so many friends. I wanted to be here for Juneteenth just as much as I wanted to see Trump," Laura Ashford of Norman said Friday.
She and her husband Jim were among a cluster of people who sat in their vehicles or in chairs under tents along the street one corner west of the BOK Center. She said some people weren' t happy when law enforcement officers asked them to move at one point due to the mayor's earlier curfew order, but she was OK with it.
"They were trying to protect us. They wanted to make sure it was all secure ," she said.
She said there had been a group of people who walked by and shouted at Trump supporters but they left when rally attendees told them they loved them and offered them water.
"They were baiting us. They said Trump wasn't a Christian and they didn't want us here.
We just think everyone has a voice. Not that Trump's perfect but that's my choice this time," Ashford said. "To be demonized and yelled at — I would never walk up to people and do that if they had opposing views."
Meanwhile, Solomon Liggins of Oklahoma City, who is black, said he knew he stood out in the crowd of mostly white supporters. He said he's not the only Black American who backs Trump and that the national media seems to promote the narrative that only white Americans favor the president.
"That' s why I' m here, to change that narrative ," Liggins said. "I'm here to say as a minority, 'Ain't this what we've been saying as far as unity, racism and people not coming together? He's here.' Tulsa hasn't been highlighted before but I feel like this administration can put it on the map."
Standing nearby, Steven McLane, of Elk City, nodded his head in agreement.
"I support my president. I've been supporting him since he came down that escalator with ( First Lady) Melania," McLane said.
Vincent Mad le said he was so determined to get to the rally he flew from his hometown just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Oklahoma City. He said he paid an Uber driver about $130 to take him from Oklahoma City to Tulsa where he was welcomed by other Trump supporters as if he was part of their family.
"It's just a movement. I feel like my voice is being heard. Trump supports everybody," Madle said.