TULSA, Okla. — Update: City Councilors voted 7-1 to approve the downtown curfew ordinance June 25.
For Mason Harmon, pondering solutions to gun violence did not start with witnessing the June 21 Juneteenth festival shooting outside of his apartment in the Greenwood District.
He grew up on the south side of Chicago. He also lost a nephew to a shooting last year.
WATCH: Downtown Tulsan says city can’t rely on curfew to curb gun violence
“I think a lot of this boils down to, ‘I’m bored, I’ll go hang out in the streets or hang out with someone who is not the best influence on me,’” he said.
Harmon believes Tulsa’s proposed 9 p.m. curfew for minors in the downtown area is a viable option, but it needs to be executed delicately, without over-policing.
Local News
DOWNTOWN CURFEW? Tulsa City Council voting on ordinance after recent shootings
“What we don’t want to do is drive people away from the area,” he said. “We don’t want to have too much curfew or stipulation on what our youth is able to do—it might do the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish.”
The proposed curfew is limited to a downtown area inside the Inner Dispersal Loop. Many of the recent shootings happened outside of the IDL, including the one outside of Harmon’s apartment.
Rather than focus on location, he thinks increasing mental health and after-school resources would be more effective. He also thinks Tulsa should have more accessible transportation options.
Local News
Suspect arrested in Juneteenth shooting in downtown Tulsa
“We have a lot of entertainment in the area,” he said. “We have things for adults and youth – why don’t we offer more access to transportation?”
Harmon said he moved here because Tulsa is an innovative city. He views this issue as a prime opportunity for Tulsa to find a way to set an example for how cities of similar sizes can effectively reduce gun violence.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
