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"Opposing Theories Offered on Race Riot", 2000-03-05

 File
Identifier: 1989.004.2

Scope and Contents

Randy Krehbiel, "Opposing Theories Offered on Race Riot," in Tulsa World, March 5, 2000, News, p. 1, printed from an internet archive. The article offers a counterpoint between interpretations of the Riot by two men, Robert Littlejohn, who grew up in North Tulsa, and William O'Brien, the son of an attorney who represented black people but lived in the opposite side of the railroad. Littlejohn believed the "Riot" had been in fact a conspiracy to approriate the valuable land of Greenwood near the railroad, and that the Dick Rowland event never even happened, that the building was closed and that he was a pimp and Sarah Page one of his girls. He also said that the attempts to acquire the land by white and black speculators were already well-known, and that it is true that there were black armed militia forming in Greenwood during previous weeks. O'Brien, on the other hand, believes the Riot was in fact a spontaneous riot caused by racial tensions related to poor treatment of black people who had better social standing than those in rural areas, and by the events described in the usual accounts, which devolved into indiscriminated violence by white mobs when they saw groups of armed black men. The article then focuses on the way the police deputised their job (and guns) to regular citizens, arguing that it was a relatively common practice at a smaller scale.

Dates

  • Creation: 2000-03-05

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

These materials are open for research by any registered reader.

Extent

4 pages : Printed from http://infoweb3.newsbank.com.

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the The University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library, Department of Special Collections & University Archives Repository

Contact:
McFarlin Library
University of Tulsa
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Tulsa 74104-3123 USA
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