Black Wall Street "Tulsa Oklahoma 1921" pt 2 of 12

In 1921, Tulsa was considered the "Oil Capital of the World," and the black community was among the most prosperous in the nation. The Greenwood section of town was known both as "Little Africa" and as "The Black Wall Street."

The film does an excellent job of concisely laying out the various conditions that set the stage for the riot, from the return of unemployed (and heavily armed) veterans from WWI to the popularity of the film "Birth of a Nation" and the growth of the Ku Klux Klan.

The catalyst for the violence was a misunderstood incident where a black man named Dick Rowland accidentally fell onto a white female elevator operator, who screamed for help. As historian Don J. Guy points out, though, this wasn't the real incident -- that occurred at the local newspaper, The Tulsa Tribune, which published an afternoon article distorting the event and calling for a lynching. By that evening, crowds of white men were gathered at the jail seeking blood, and violence soon broke out between them and a much smaller group of blacks.

Supposedly to keep the public order, the sheriff began deputizing any white citizen who wanted to join the police force, and soon hundreds of Klansmen, now representing the law, began organizing what, in the words of historian and retired General Ed Wheeler, was effectively a military operation.

By the next day, over 300 blacks had been killed, over 1,200 homes had been burned, and the surviving African-American population of Tulsa was forced into confinement. Those who were vouched for by whites were released, but made to wear ribbons that immediately bring to mind the later yellow stars used by the Nazis to mark the Jews.

The newspapers continued to refashion the incident, and all copies of the initial incendiary article disappeared. The city council passed laws that effectively made it impossible for the black community to rebuild, and a tent city was created to house the impoverished homeless population.

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[chasm47000]

So the KKK was formed to terrorize defenseless people from there freedoms. Whites that weren't in the KKK took there side cause they were brainwashed to think they were the white savior and they are evil. Much like today's tea party movements. Brainwashed to defend the super wealthy of today's society. Brainwashed to hate immigrants coming into this country. Brainwashed to think minorities on welfare are sucking there pockets dry through government taxes. The people in power have not changed.

[monkhillier]

Same story of white behavior around the world - Laziness, selfishness, insecurity, cowardliness, brutishness, and a gross stupidity by the majority of whites that cannot see they are being played by the few smart power brokers.

As a Black man from England, I see the same mindset here. And I have yet to see a white man attack a Black man on their own, without a crowd, or without police or white community back-up.

Too cowardly, too lazy, too stupid to think for themselves. A weak-minded people.

[CaliBangTheory]

@jordantalknyc Great observation!

[roland20002000]

What a despicable part of history. 

[bondifiedshawty]

The white man calls the black man lazy n evil when it was the nex way around....these white ppl enslaved n tormented the black man take all credit for the black man hard work then call them lazy?!...smdhhh white ppl came from such an evil nature African ppl went tru so much it's so sad

[MrWeknowNow]

They had kids in robes. Very Sick in the head

[snpage2001]

This world is sick.

[gloriacamel2006]

@SuperOldfart1 YOU ARE A LIAR!!! AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN YOU!! I BET YOU ARE A POOR WHITE TRASH STUPID IGNORANT DUMB PIECE OF SHIT KKK CRAC(KKK)ER TEA PARTY WHITE SUPREMACIST TO THE VERY DEPTHS AND MORROW OF YOUR BONES YOU DUMB EVIL WHITE TRASH DOGS ARE BEING TRICKED /BAMBOZZLED BY YOUR VILE MILLIONAIRES/BILLIONAIRES DEMONIC GREEDY WHITE SATANIC ELITE I BELIEVE YOU CAVE BEAST MUTANTS ARE ALL THE SAME SOULLESS/GODLESS NEANDERTHALS ALL OVER THE PLANET NATURAL BORN KILLERS/MURDERERS ALL OF YOU!!!

[blueiguy1]

@jordantalknyc I know right? He just spent 250,000 at a strip club and did you hear of him going back to New Orleans with those "stacks" The Africans in America are being trained far too easily.

[jordantalknyc]

why does LIL WAYNE BEING GAY has 700,000 views and this has only 2,000? sad sad sad