TULSA, Okla. — In an exclusive interview with 2 News, a Tulsa protester who made national headlines in 2020 says the fight is not over.
In September 2024, a jury found Sheila Buck not guilty of obstruction after being arrested for protesting outside a Trump campaign rally in downtown Tulsa.
In May 2025, as a result of a civil rights lawsuit, the City of Tulsa will pay Buck $700,000.
“I believe in living as an example, especially when you’re a teacher and parent,” she said. “I did the right thing; I did what I felt I had to do.”
The former teacher of 30 years says she protested after witnessing so many inequalities during her time as an educator in north Tulsa.
WATCH: Tulsa Trump rally protester gets $700k
“Working in North Tulsa changed me and changed my life in a good way,” she said. “Black lives matter. They need to be treated as fairly and equally, and they are not.”
While the original protest began as a fight for inequality, the subsequent arrest, trial, and lawsuit became a fight for the First Amendment as well, as she was arrested while kneeling on a city street.
“It’s a fight for our country—it’s a fight for our Constitution,” she said.
What happened in 2020?
In 2020, Buck headed to the Trump rally in downtown Tulsa, with a ticket, and intention—to send a message through her George Floyd “I can’t breathe” t-shirt.
“I was protesting the treatment of police to black people, black youth, yes, I went down to protest that,” she said.
When she walked down the street, she says she was immediately met with Trump supporters yelling at her, including one with a megaphone.
“I knew I would get looks, but I had no idea,” said Buck. “I was shocked at the hatred.”
Buck says she did not speak; only kneeled on the sidewalk, outside of the event. She says the Secret Service asked her to leave. She refused. Tulsa police officers arrested her for obstruction.
“I know my rights, and I know they had no right to arrest me,” said Buck.
Her misdemeanor charge ended up in a jury trial. She was found not guilty. Prosecutors for the City of Tulsa unsuccessfully argued that the street was cordoned off, deeming it private.
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2020 Trump rally protester found not guilty of obstructing officer
“This is my town, Tulsa, Oklahoma, I am an American citizen,” said Buck. “I can walk down my streets. This was not a “cordoned off” area; this was the middle of the street.”
What’s next for Sheila Buck?
“I plan to fight this as far as I can,” she said, “I don’t want to see our country fail.”
Buck believes the Trump campaign should still be held accountable, and as long as she has attorneys willing to take it further, she will be willing to do so too.
“A federal judge ruled at one point that we weren’t able to go after the Trump campaign,” she explained. “If I had my way, we would be going after the Trump campaign, because they were the ones that made me leave.”
“I think I would have been more willing to let it drop if the city and the DA hadn’t continued,” she said. “They kept, kept pushing me.”
Without admission of wrongdoing, to Buck, that means there is no change, and that is what she plans to keep fighting.
2 News reached out to Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler for comment and he sent this statement: "Ms. Sheila Buck was arrested by the Tulsa Police Department for the misdemeanor offense of Obstructing an Officer during a time period in which a Donald Trump presidential rally was held in Tulsa on June 20, 2020. Based upon the information provided by the Tulsa Police Department, the State of Oklahoma filed the Obstruction charge. As we have frequently stated, charging an individual with a crime does not remove the Constitutional protection of the presumption of innocence. That presumption does not change until and unless a judge or a jury determines otherwise. There are cases in which a settlement is reached, and there are cases in which a trial is conducted. That is the system of criminal justice afforded to all citizens. This case was extensively litigated, to include several pre-trial motions. The arrest of Ms. Buck was never suppressed. The charge against Ms. Buck was allowed to proceed forward by the courts. Ultimately, Ms. Buck was acquitted by a jury, and the State of Oklahoma abides by that decision."
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