Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum released the following statement on social media Saturday evening after protests across Tulsa today:
"I ran for mayor because I wanted Tulsa to be a city where every kid has an equal shot at a great life.
To do this, first we measured the depth of disparity by commissioning a comprehensive set of equality indicators and committing to tracking our progress.
We established the Mayor’s Office of Resilience & Equity and charged it with implementing the Resilient Tulsa Strategy - our city’s first strategic plan to address racial disparity. We believe addressing racial disparity in Tulsa must occur across a range of areas: economic development, transportation, health, public safety, and others.
So we reoriented our City’s economic development plan to prioritize North Tulsa, a part of our city which has taken a back seat to the rest of the city when it comes to economic growth for decades. In the last three years, we’ve recruited over $1 billion of private investment into North Tulsa and we’ve partnered with non-profits to offer cutting edge job training because we want the jobs created by all of this investment to benefit North Tulsans.
We extended the City’s bus rapid transit line to offer high quality public transportation to even more people living in North Tulsa, we prioritized the reopening of recreation centers, and we engaged the community to tell us what key developments should look like in North Tulsa.
We reengaged the process to find the missing 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre graves in order to do right by the victims - something that should have been done decades ago.
We reoriented the Tulsa Police Department toward a community policing model and hired a new Chief of Police who has a track record of commitment to that approach.
We have done all this because there is so much to do. No Tulsan should be complacent so long as kids growing up in one part of our city have shorter lives just because of the part of town in which they grow up. And I am grateful that so many Tulsans, in all parts of our city, have acknowledged the need to do more.
I respect the Tulsans who used their time today to show other Tulsans that they care for the lives of their neighbors - that they want this to be a better city and that every life is sacred.
I want to thank the men and women of the Tulsa Police Department who worked throughout the day to keep the protesters safe as they voiced their beliefs.
I’ve been asked if I will meet with activists to discuss their aspirations for our city. My answer: Of course.
I’ve tried throughout my time in public service to keep an open door and engage a broad range of viewpoints in order to make the best decisions possible. I’ve met many times with the leaders of today’s protest, and remain eager to work with any Tulsan who wants to build a better city for the next generation.
What I will not do: Agree to a list of demands because people block streets, shut down highways, or come to my family’s home. Change occurs in Tulsa through collaboration, deliberation and thoughtful action - not through attempts at intimidation.
We will not heal as a city or as a country if we insist on demonizing “them” - be they activists, police officers, elected officials, Democrats, or Republicans. The only way we move forward is through dialogue with people of differing views, and through a belief in our shared humanity."