Broken Arrow Sentinel editor John Dobberstein and other Tulsa media members were banished from a publicly advertised meeting being held Friday by residents who are opposed to the location of the Bell’s Amusement Park development.
Organizers of the meeting have been collecting signatures protesting the location for the last few weeks and had gathered nearly 350 as of Friday morning.
A woman guarding the door to the packed meeting room at the Nienhuis Park Community Center initially told Dobberstein no cameras were allowed. Shortly after, an organizer for the meeting standing at the head of the room – who did not identify herself or introduce herself – said no reporters were allowed.
When Dobberstein asked why, he was told it was a private meeting, to which Dobberstein replied, “It was on Facebook.” The organizer said certain members of the media – whom she did not identify – “took the announcement and ran with it without contacting us for information.”
A preview story about the meeting appearing on the Sentinel’s
website Friday clearly stated the meeting was for those opposed to the development’s location and that the group was not opposed to Bell’s coming to Broken Arrow. The flyer said those in favor of Bell’s should not attend.
Dobberstein then exited the meeting room, hearing someone say “Watch the doors” as he left. Shortly after he learned that one or two television stations were reportedly given permission to attend but other media entities were not allowed in.
Earlier Friday, City Manager Michael Spurgeon released a statement that, in part, said the city was made aware of this meeting weeks ago. When the city asked the organizers if they would like city officials to attend to answer questions and discuss concerns about the project, Spurgeon said, the city was told the organizers would present a petition to the city council in January and they would prefer city officials not attend Friday’s meeting.
Spurgeon tried to clear up confusion about the meeting Friday in his statement, stating that it was not a city-sponsored meeting but a privately organized meeting.
“I think it is reprehensible for the organizers of this meeting, which was being held in a public facility paid for with taxpayer dollars, to ban media members who are just trying to cover this important story,” Dobberstein said. “Broken Arrow citizens deserve to hear the facts about this important development, and those who might be making allegations that are not supported by facts, studies or real-life examples should be called on the carpet of public opinion.
“Since the Sentinel was not allowed to attend, who knows what was presented? I think the group could have chosen a better facility to have its private meeting than using a building that belongs to the public.
“For those who feel another site should be chosen for the Bell’s development, the organizers did them a disservice as well by preventing their perspective from being shared with the public.”
Click here to read the Sentinel’s preview article about this meeting, and click here to read Spurgeon’s statement.
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