Bynum preps Tulsans for reality of what ‘reparations’ commission can accomplish

Randy Krehbiel In announcing the formation of a commission to “develop a plan for reparations in Tulsa,” Mayor G.T. Bynum asked citizens to “keep an open mind.” “When the term ‘reparations’ is used, we jump to the end of the conversation without hearing our neighbors out,” Bynum said Thursday. “If you’re looking for reparations, people opposed think you’re just looking for a handout. And if you’re opposed to reparations, people in favor of them think you’re heartless.” City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper, who announced formation of the commission with Bynum at a noon press conference, said it was “yet another day of progress and celebration, filled with uplifting news not only for the survivors of the massacre, but also the descendants of the 1921 Race Massacre and the Greenwood community.” The Beyond Apology Commission is the product of a similarly named initiative led by Hall-Harper and others to collect input from Tulsans across the city about repercussions from Tulsa’s 1921 Race Massacre and how to address inequities Hall-Harper and others believe still exist, wholly or in part, because of it. People are also reading… The commission will consist of 13 members serving staggered three-year terms. One member will be directly appointed...