Essay On The Tulsa Race Riot

The Tulsa Race Riot occurred from May 31, 1921 to June 1, 1921. On May 31, an African American shoe shiner named Dick Rowland was boarding an elevator near where he worked. Upon entering the elevator, he stumbled and grabbed the arm of the elevator operator, a white woman named Sarah Page. When she screamed, Mr. Rowland was accused of rape and taken into police custody.
Outside of the courthouse where Dick Rowland was being held, a white mob gathered, intent on lynching Mr. Rowland. A group of black men were leaving the area at the same time. One of the black men, a WWI veteran, was carrying his army issue revolver. When a member of the white mob attempted to take the revolver, it went off, and the violence began.
The violence continued from that night, May 31, through the following night, June 1. Greenwood, the black area of Tulsa, was completely destroyed, with thirty five square blocks burned to the ground. More than twelve hundred houses were destroyed, and ten thousand African Americans were left homeless. In addition, the police force began deputizing and arming white men with a minimal screening process and over three hundred African

Part of why history repeats itself is because these circumstances are often forgotten. Many residents of the Tulsa area today don’t even know about the riot, even though it occurred less than one hundred years ago. Building a park in the area would not only serve to educate the public on what happened, but also contribute to the modern day beautification of the area. If Greenwood had not been destroyed, then modern day property values, and consequently property taxes, would be higher. Those property taxes are most commonly used to provide for public services and contribute to the maintenance of public facilities. Building a park in Greenwood would serve to improve the area and would act as a step towards elevating