Southwest
Oklahoma's high court tosses reparations lawsuit over 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
Oklahoma’s highest court tossed a lawsuit seeking reparations for two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of violence involving race that saw more than 300 Black people killed by a White mob and the destruction of Black Wall Street, a thriving Black district.
The nine-member Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit of the last two survivors of the riot, ruling that the plaintiff’s grievances, although legitimate, did not fall within the scope of the state’s public nuisance statute.
“We further hold that the plaintiff’s allegations do not sufficiently support a claim for unjust enrichment,” the court wrote in its decision.
BOSTON ACTIVISTS CALL FOR $15 BILLION IN REPARATIONS, SAYS THE CITY MUST ‘FULLY COMMIT TO WRITING CHECKS’
In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Okla. The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit of the last two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dampening the hope of advocates for racial justice that the government would make amends for one of the worst single acts of violence against Black people in U.S. history. (Alvin C. Krupnick Co./Library of Congress via AP)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Damario Solomon-Simmons, attorney for survivors Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Fletcher, who are both now over 100 years old. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the city of Tulsa said it respects the court’s decision.
“The City of Tulsa respects the court’s decision and affirms the significance of the work the City continues to do in the North Tulsa and Greenwood communities,” the city said. “Through economic development and policy projects, the 1921 Graves Investigation, and a renewed community vision for the Kirkpatrick Heights & Greenwood Master Plan, the City remains committed to working with residents and providing resources to support the North Tulsa and Greenwood communities.”
FILE – The Oklahoma Supreme Court is pictured in the state Capitol building in Oklahoma City, May 19, 2014. The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, dismissed a lawsuit of the last two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dampening the hope of advocates for racial justice that the government would make amends for one of the worst single acts of violence against Black people in U.S. history. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File) (AP)
The lawsuit sought to force the city to pay for destruction by a white mob of the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood. In 1921 — on May 31 and June 1 — the mob, including some people hastily deputized by authorities, looted and burned the district, which was referred to as Black Wall Street.
Randle and Fletcher brought the lawsuit in 2020. A third plaintiff, Hughes Van Ellis, died last year at the age of 102.
The surviving victims of the riot were never compensated for their losses and the massacre ultimately resulted in racial and economic disparities that still exist today, the lawsuit argued.
It sought a detailed accounting of the property and wealth lost or stolen in the massacre, the construction of a hospital in north Tulsa and the creation of a victims’ compensation fund, among other things.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The corporation that owns the Langham Huntington Pasadena has settled a civil lawsuit claiming the luxury hotel hiked room rates while more than 200,000 residents evacuated their homes during the pair of deadly and destructive wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January of 2025. The lawsuit, filed by the Los Angeles County District […]
Southern California is bracing for a hot and muggy week ahead, with heat watches in place and a chance of thunderstorms across the mountains and desert regions.
Temperatures are expected to increase each day into midweek, prompting officials to extend a heat advisory until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when it will transition to an extreme heat watch for even warmer conditions through Thursday evening.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Wednesday, with many locations topping 100 degrees and some reaching 110, according to the National Weather Service.
“Monsoonal moisture moving over the area will add to the discomfort, also bringing the potential for showers and thunderstorms each day,” the Weather Service said.
Those thunderstorms are most likely to occur over the mountain and desert areas as subtropical moisture is drawn into the region by a strong ridge of high pressure.
Temperatures along the coast may even reach the 90s by midweek, with very warm temperatures continuing through the night.
“Given the extreme heat and humidity, it’s highly recommended to complete outdoor activities as early as possible,” the Weather Service said.
The high pressure is expected to slowly weaken Thursday, bringing afternoon highs to within a few degrees of normal in most areas by Friday.
Two rare corpse flowers have begun to bloom simultaneously at the Huntington Library in San Marino, the nonprofit organization announced Sunday evening.
Odorysseus, the taller of the two flowers, bloomed first. A second, smaller corpse flower named Odora appears to be following close behind.
The Huntington Library is inviting visitors to take in the flowers’ unique aroma, which is often compared to rotting flesh.
“And so it begins,” the Huntington Library wrote on social media.
Odora is shaped a bit differently than Odorysseus because its spadix is inverted due to a developmental irregularity. This is not expected to affect the blooming of the flower.
“Plot twist!” the Huntington Library wrote on Instagram. “Odora wants to steal the spotlight. Odora’s spathe has started opening, too. Tiny but mighty, we’re in for quite the show with a double bloom.”
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File: The Corpse Flower, as seen in 2024 at The Huntington in San Marino, California. (Photo by Linnea Stephan)
The Huntington is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, and is closed on Tuesdays. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday, on holidays, and during peak seasons. “Twilight stroll” hours are available on the Huntington’s website.
The public can also watch a live stream of the bloom on the organization’s YouTube channel.
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