Tulsa reparations lawsuit dismissed

Defender News Service

An Oklahoma judge has dismissed a lawsuit demanding reparations and rebuilding to address the historical damage inficted by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Te case represents the last three survivors of the violent assault that claimed the lives of approximately 300 Black Americans in the renowned “Black Wall Street” community.

Judge Caroline Wall, in her ruling, ruled in favor of the defendants, including the state and the city of Tulsa, who had repeatedly moved for the case’s dismissal. Wall dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, barring it from being refled in state court.

However, the plaintifs—Lessie Benningfeld Randle, Viola Fletcher, and Hughes Van Ellis— still have the option to appeal the decision. One of the central arguments presented by the state and city ofcials was that the survivors did not personally experience individualized adverse efects resulting from the massacre.

Many said the Tulsa Race Massacre has come to symbolize government-sanctioned racism and violence, contributing to the persistent disparities faced by Black Americans. Historical accounts suggest that the massacre likely originated from a misunderstanding or falsehood.

A Black boy and a white girl entered an elevator together, and subsequent reports in the local newspaper falsely accused the boy of

Newsbriefs

Colin Allred raises nearly $6.2m in two months in bid to unseat Ted Cruz attempting to assault the girl sexually. Some have speculated that the boy may have accidentally bumped into the girl, and because of the severe consequences associated with interracial interactions during that era, racist whites became enraged.

Following a newspaper’s editorial calling for lynching, white residents of the town embarked

Dallas Congressman Colin Allred is reporting strong fundraising numbers in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz in 2024. Allred is outpacing where Cruz’s last Democratic challenger stood at this point in the 2018 campaign. Allred’s campaign confrms it raised nearly $6.2 million between the beginning of May and the end of June. Tat brings Allred’s war chest to more than $8.6 million, including money rolled over from his House campaign account. Other Democrats who have signaled interest in challenging Cruz in next year’s general election include State Senator Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio and State Representative Carl Sherman of DeSoto. Allred’s strong early showing could potentially deter other contenders for the Democratic nomination.

Health ofcials warn of Houston cyclospora outbreak

Health officials are warning Houstonians about an outbreak of an intestinal parasite that can cause severe cases of diarrhea. Doctors have seen a rise in gastrointestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite in recent weeks in both Fort Bend and Harris counties. Te parasite, called Cyclospora cayetanensis, can cause fu-like symptoms, including watery diarrhea, bloating, fever, stomach on a rampage the next day, destroying 1,200 homes, 60 businesses, a hospital, a school, and a library in the Greenwood District, as documented by Human Rights Watch. Te devastation forever shattered the heart of the Black community, which could not reclaim its former prosperity afer May 31, 1921.

Calling it one of the nation’s “worst acts of cramps, and muscle aches. It lives in feces-contaminated foods and waters and is ofen spread by the consumption of unwashed fruits and vegetables. Ofcials are urging people to take extra care when preparing foods, and carefully washing cooking boards, utensils and other food prep surfaces to avoid cross-contamination.

Report: Texas beaches full of bacteria

We knew Texas beaches weren’t the best, but a new report says it’s worse than we thought. Te report from Environment Texas says 90% of the state’s beaches, or 55 out of 61, tested positive for unsafe levels of fecal bacteria on one or more occasions last year. Tey found the Texas City Dike and 25th Street beaches in Galveston were domestic terrorism,” plaintifs like Lessie E. Benningfield Randle, the oldest survivor at 108 years old, say they sufered personal losses. For instance, Randle’s grandmother’s home was looted and demolished.

Te lawsuit highlighted how intergenerational real estate ownership has been a key factor contributing to the wealth disparity between white and Black Americans, with many properties destroyed or unlawfully seized following the Civil War.

In the civil fling, the lawyers contended, “Tis brutal, inhumane attack… robbed thousands of African Americans of their right to self-determination, upon which they had built this self-sustaining community.”

Ofcials asserted that the city, county, and state either created a public nuisance or, at the very least, turned a blind eye to the incident and later capitalized on it for their beneft. Te lawsuit cited apologies from the city’s mayor and a commander of the Oklahoma National Guard, the latter of whom admitted that the troops did not intervene to save the community.

Te defendants maintain insufcient evidence to support the three plaintifs’ claims of “individualized injury.” among eight in Texas that exceeded the EPA’s safety threshold with unsafe levels of fecal bacteria reported more than 25% of all the days they were tested. Cole Park Beach in Corpus Christi, the most frequently-contaminated beach in the state, also registered high bacteria levels. Fecal contamination happens due to runof and sewage overfows. Swimming in water contaminated with fecal bacteria can result in respiratory issues, gastrointestinal sickness, ear and eye infections, and skin rashes.

While the survivors said dismissing the lawsuit is disappointing, it is unlikely to halt the growing awareness of this crucial chapter in American history, which sheds light on contemporary disparities.

VOLUME 92, NUMBER 35 - JULY 13, 2023

Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles

Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles

Digital Content Manager Get Current Studios

Managing Editor ReShonda Tate

Associate Editor Aswad Walker

Education Reporter Laura Onyeneho

The

Special Assignments Reporter Tannistha Sinha

Sports Terrance Harris Jodie B. Jiles

Photographer Jimmie Aggison

Social Media Manager Tia Alphonse Jordan Hockett