Tulsa proposes downtown curfew, task force to tackle gun violence

By John Dobberstein, Editor

TULSA — To address the recent spate of mass shootings at large gatherings across Tulsa in the past several weeks, city officials said Monday they’re proposing a curfew downtown and other measures to crack down on gun violence.

The downtown curfew would apply to people under 18 and last from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. all week, with the aim of reducing the potential for large crowds gathering and innocent people being injured. The Tulsa City Council will vote Wednesday whether to approve the measure. If approved by the City Council the curfew could be effective as early as Thursday.

Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larsen said the curfew proposal addresses a situation in Tulsa similar to one in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown neighborhood in recent years, with violence occurring after major events. A curfew ordinance was established that, according to Larsen, reduced occurrences of violence in the targeted area.

Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols has pledged to make Tulsa “the safety big city in America” but has run into challenges in his first term. Although statistics on violent crime have gone down in the past year, Nichols said the pockets of juvenile crime occurring in some parts of Tulsa is “incredibly startling,” and there has also been an uptick in trespassing and nuisance crimes.

Last Saturday night and spilling into Sunday, 1 person was killed and several people were struck by gunfire during a mass shooting in downtown Tulsa near the Blue Dome District while thousands were in the area for weekend celebrations.

Early Saturday, at about 12:40 a.m., another mass shooting occurred at an abandoned warehouse at 122nd East Ave. and Admiral Boulevard that led to at least 6 gunshot wound victims and several others who suffered injuries during the chaos.

Another mass shooting happened last Thursday night in the area of Cry Baby Hill. Police responded to a disturbance at an Airbnb in the 1300 block of S. Elwood Avenue, where a house party was in progress with an estimated 50-100 people in attendance. Officers dispersed the gathering, but a shooting later occurred, injuring 4 people.

And in early May, another mass shooting occurred near 2nd Street and Elgin Avenue in downtown Tulsa that resulted in 1 death and several injuries. In some cases, offenders decided to open fire with police in very close proximity.

“Those who are responsible will soon be brought to justice,” Nichols said of this weekend’s violence. “Step one in our work is making it clear that we will not cede one square inch of this city to those who are brazen enough to shoot into a crowd, brazen enough to shoot with police officers within mere footsteps, brazen enough to do this all on sacred ground in this community.”  

“Now, I recognize our youths in this community are hurting. But some of them are playing a very dangerous game. It’s a dangerous game that doesn’t that doesn’t value life. Oftentimes one that doesn’t even value their own lives.

“Some of our youths don’t have what they need to make better choices. And that lack of opportunity is something that is felt in every neighborhood across the city. I am not, and the people behind me are not willing to give up on them. But they all have a very important choice to make. Destructive violence or a chance at a better, brighter future.”

On Sunday, members of Nichols’ administration met with over 30 community, school and faith leaders to share initiatives and discuss how to collectively to address the challenges some young people are facing.

“We know we have to reach young people who’ve been disconnected from school and jobs and help them find a better path,” Nichols said.  

Larsen said the department has been actively investigating all the incidents, as detectives from the Special Investigations Unit have been working around the clock conducting interviews and chasing leads. Forensic personnel worked all weekend analyzing evidence.

Larsen confirmed that several gangs are fighting each other and that has played a prominent role in the violence, although he did not share more specifics due to ongoing investigations.

“We’ve collected shell casings, documented sprawling crime scenes and we’re using advanced forensic tools to identify those responsible,” Larsen said. “To keep Tulsans safe, we will be enhancing our presence at large gatherings, working with community leaders and engaging with parents to prevent our youths from getting caught in these dangerous situations.

“We will find everybody who fired a pistol or fired a rifle this weekend, and we will bring them to justice.”

Nichols and Larsen announced more measures as part of efforts to enforce the new curfew proposal and further tackle gun violence in Tulsa. If the curfew is approved, TPD will form a dedicated “downtown curfew team” to help enforce the new ordinance by identifying unaccompanied minors and ensuring they’re no longer in downtown after 9 p.m.

TPD will also launch a “Gun Violence Task Force” on Thursday to, “identify some of the root causes of gun violence” and address them, as well as to get more illegal guns of the street, Larsen said.

Last December, the city announced it received a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice in the form of the Tulsa Community-Based Violence Intervention Initiative (TCVI) to decrease gun-related violent crimes and homicides in Tulsa by, “disrupting cycles of violence within the community.” The grant will cover hiring personnel to carry out the initiatives.

TCVI is expected to “leverage local expertise and evidence-based strategies to ensure areas with the highest levels of violence receive focused attention. Using real-time mapping, TCVI will identify violent hotspots, deploy credible messengers and outreach workers, “and connect those at high risk of violence with critical resources such as conflict resolution training, mental health services, employment support and educational opportunities.”

TCVI is the product of city and community partners working within the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance to reduce the homicide mortality rate in Tulsa from 11.9% to 5.7% by 2028.

Anyone with information on the incidents this past weekend is asked to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS. Any community member who would like to take part in mentoring or helping the youth in the Tulsa community should send an email to resilient@cityoftulsa.org.