TULSA, Okla. — Residents and business owners are calling on the City of Tulsa to make changes amid the increase in gun violence plaguing downtown Tulsa.
Most recently, Isaiah Knight, 22, died and seven others were injured in a shooting at the Juneteenth festival near Archer and Greenwood.
WATCH: Greenwood community calls for better security after Juneteenth shooting
At a news conference, Isaiah’s aunt, Endia Knight, said her nephew leaves behind a one-year-old son. She said Isaiah was also set to start a new job this week because he recently graduated welding school.
“I am speechless, I am hurt, and I am trying to function,” she said. “We don’t want this to be the new norm.”
“We want people to continue to feel safe coming to Greenwood,” said Freeman Culver, President of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. Culver said the uptick in gun violence has to be addressed by multiple groups coming together. He also encourages families to learn more about what types of outreach programs are available.
“Many of them [teens] have trauma that started in their childhood and this is the result of that trauma,” said Culver. “We have to do something about it.”
Heather Nash of the Deep Greenwood Foundation applauded the response by the Tulsa Police Department after the shooting occurred, but says many in the Greenwood District have long-held concerns regarding crime prevention in the area.
“This could have been a safe environment, had we had adequate security,” said Nash.
Among the concerns: poor lighting, lack of crowd management plans, inadequate cleanup after events and poorly placed barricades. Members of Greenwood are calling on the city to give them a seat at the table for event planning, suggesting a revision to permits to be more specific to the Greenwood area and giving equal attention to safety as other neighborhood events.
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