The #Oklahoma #SupremeCourt is poised to hear oral arguments in April regarding a #reparations lawsuit brought by the last two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Viola Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle. This follows the lawsuit's dismissal last year, with the survivors' legal team seeking to have their public nuisance case retried.
Also known as the #BlackWallStreet massacre, a white supremacist terrorist event that occurred on May 31 and June 1, 1921, lasted two days.
The lead attorney, Damario Solomon-Simmons, expressed gratitude for the court's prompt consideration of the case. Their legal team's final brief, submitted in November, highlighted the urgency of their appeal, with Solomon-Simmons emphasizing the absence of alternative legal avenues, including the United States Supreme Court or the federal court system. The lawsuit accuses the city and state of complicity in the massacre and argues that #Oklahoma's public nuisance law should apply due to the enduring impact of the massacre on the survivors and the #Greenwood community.
A Tulsa County district judge previously dismissed the case in July. The forthcoming decision by the Supreme Court could overturn that dismissal, allowing the case to proceed. Oral arguments are scheduled for April 2 in the afternoon.
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Link: KOSU