TULSA, Okla. — City leaders met a peaceful call for change when Mayor G.T. Bynum invited local activists into City Hall into what many called a historic meeting.
Among the action items the mayor agreed to -- better support of mental health needs during police interactions with the public.
It is especially important for a family of activists, Nyesha , Tyesha, and Anthony Barre. Tulsa police shot and killed their brother, Joshua Barre in 2017.
"If the right steps were taken when they were aware when he was at his home, he would still be alive today," Nyesha said.
Joshua had bi-polar disorder and in the days before his death his mental health deteriorated after he stopped taking his medicine.
"He was actually supposed to be picked up to get him back on his medicine," Tyesha said.
Officers had done multiple wellness checks on Joshua leading up to June 9, 2017.
"They didn't pick him up because he was agitated," Nyesha said.
Tyesha added, "They failed him then by not giving him the help he needed."
On June 9, 2017, Joshua had an episode which lead him to walk blocks down the road to a convenience store with knives in his hands.
"He visited the convenience store almost every day," Anthony said. "He was scared. So, he was just trying to go where he felt safe."
Tulsa police shot and killed him as he entered the store.
"It was tough for me to be the big brother and not to be there and protect your little brother and to see him get shot like a dog in the street by some one who was supposed to protect him," Anthony said.
That case is still in litigation with the city, county and the Barre family.
"No matter what it still won't bring my little brother back, nothing will," Tyesha said. That's why the Barre siblings are pushing for change.
“Coming together as a community for mental health, that is what our justice means and that is what Joshua's justice means and that is what we are standing for with love and peace," Nyesha said.
During the impromptu meeting with Mayor G.T. Bynum and Police Chief Wendell Franklin, they received a flicker of hope when the city agreed to work on writing more grants to fund mental health understanding resources for the police department.
“I feel like it’s a start," Nyesha said. "It does feel like a good step but we need to make sure we have multiple organizations all working with each other and getting the same understanding and training so everyone is on the same page."
The Barre family says focusing on that early on could save more families from feeling the same hurt they feels every day.
“Our goal is to set the tone that mental illness is just as important as anything else," Nyesha said. "We can’t turn back the clock on what happened, but we can use our voices too try to make a difference in the next families."
Barre's siblings have a memorial to celebrate their brother and raise awareness of mental health. They say he would have been 31 this year. The flyer for the memorial is below.
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