Reconstructing the dreamland : the Tulsa race riot of 1921 : race, reparations and reconciliation

The 1921 Tulsa Race Riot was the country's bloodiest civil disturbance of the century. Thirty city blocks were burned to the ground, perhaps 150 died, and the prosperous black community of Greenwood, Oklahoma, was turned to rubble. Brophy draws on his own extensive research into contemporary accounts and court documents to chronicle this devastating riot, showing how and why the rule of law quickly eroded. Brophy shines his lights on mob violence and racism run amok, both on the night of the riot and the following morning. Equally important, he shows how the city government and police not only permitted looting, shootings, and the burning of Greenwood, but actively participated in it by deputizing white citizens haphazardly, giving out guns and badges, or sending men to arm themselves. Likewise, the National Guard acted unconstitutionally, arresting every black resident they found, leaving property vulnerable to the white mob. Brophy's stark narrative concludes with a discussion of reparations for victims of the riot through lawsuits and legislative action. That case has implications for other reparations movements, including reparations for slavery. ""Recovers a largely forgotten history of black activism in one of the grimmest periods of race relations.... Linking history with advocacy, Brophy also offers a reasoned defense of reparations for the riot's victims.""--Washington Post Book World The 1921 Tulsa Race Riot Was The Country's Bloodiest Civil Disturbance Of The Century. With Perhaps 150 Dead, 30 City Blocks Burned To The Ground, And More Than A Thousand Families Homeless, The Riot Represented An Unprecedented Breakdown Of The Rule Of Law. It Left The Prosperous Black Community Of Greenwood, Oklahoma Reduced To Rubble. In Reconstructing The Dreamland, Alfred Brophy Draws On His Own Extensive Research Into Contemporary Accounts And Court Documents To Chronicle This Devastating Riot, Showing How And Why The Rule Of Law Quickly Eroded. Brophy Offers A Gut-wrenching Portrait Of Mob Violence And Racism Run Amok, Both On The Night Of The Riot And The Morning After, When A Coordinated Sunrise Attack, Accompanied By Airplanes, Stormed Through Greenwood, Torching And Looting The Community. Equallty Important, He Shows How The City Government And Police Not Only Permitted The Looting, Shootings, And Burning Of Greenwood, But Actively Participated In It. The Police Department, Fearing That Greenwood Was Erupting Into A Negro Uprising (which Brophy Shows Was Not The Case), Deputized White Citizens Haphazardly, Gave Out Guns And Badges With Little Background Check, Or Sent Men To Hardware Stores To Arm Themselves. Likewise, The Tulsa-based Units Of The National Guard Acted Unconstitutionally, Arresting Every Black Resident They Could Find, Leaving Greenwood Property Vulnerable To The White Mob, Special Deputies, And Police That Followed Behind And Burned It.--jacket. Prologue -- Seeking Justice And The Origins Of The Riot -- Thinking He Can Whip The World: The Riot -- Picturing The Riot -- A White Wash Brush And A Big One In Operation In Tulsa: Tulsa Interprets The Riot -- Tulsa Will! Tulsa Will! Tulsa Will Dodge: The Failure Of Reconstruction -- Epilogue. Alfred L. Brophy. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 176-182) And Index. "The 1921 Tulsa Race Riot was the country's bloodiest civil disturbance of the century. With perhaps 150 dead, 30 city blocks burned to the ground, and more than a thousand families homeless, the riot represented an unprecedented breakdown of the rule of law. It left the prosperous black community of Greenwood, Oklahoma reduced to rubble.". "In Reconstructing the Dreamland, Alfred Brophy draws on his own extensive research into contemporary accounts and court documents to chronicle this devastating riot, showing how and why the rule of law quickly eroded. Brophy offers a gut-wrenching portrait of mob violence and racism run amok, both on the night of the riot and the morning after, when a coordinated sunrise attack, accompanied by airplanes, stormed through Greenwood, torching and looting the community. Equallty important, he shows how the city government and police not only permitted the looting, shootings, and burning of Greenwood, but actively participated in it. The police department, fearing that Greenwood was erupting into a "negro uprising" (which Brophy shows was not the case), deputized white citizens haphazardly, gave out guns and badges with little background check, or sent men to hardware stores to arm themselves. Likewise, the Tulsa-based units of the National Guard acted unconstitutionally, arresting every black resident they could find, leaving Greenwood property vulnerable to the white mob, special deputies, and police that followed behind and burned it."--BOOK JACKET. The 1921 Tulsa Race Riot was the country's bloodiest civil disturbance of the century. Thirty city blocks were burned to the ground, perhaps 150 died, and the prosperous black community of Greenwood, Oklahoma, was turned to rubble. Brophy draws on his own extensive research into contemporary accounts and court documents to chronicle this devastating riot, showing how and why the rule of law quickly eroded. Brophy shines his lights on mob violence and racism run amok, both on the night of the riot and the following morning. Equally important, he shows how the city government and police not only permitted looting, shootings, and the burning of Greenwood, but actively participated in it by deputizing white citizens haphazardly, giving out guns and badges, or sending men to arm themselves. Likewise, the National Guard acted unconstitutionally, arresting every black resident they found, leaving property vulnerable to the white mob. Brophy's stark narrative concludes with a discussion of reparations for victims of the riot through lawsuits and legislative action. That case has implications for other reparations movements, including reparations for slavery. "Recovers a largely forgotten history of black activism in one of the grimmest periods of race relations.... Linking history with advocacy, Brophy also offers a reasoned defense of reparations for the riot's victims."-- Washington Post Book World Foreword Acknowledgments Prologue Seeking Justics and the Origin of the Riot "Thinking He Can Whip the World": The Riot Picturing the Riot "A White Wash Brush and a Big One in Operation in Tulsa": Tulsa Interprets the Riot Tulsa Will! Tulsa Will? Tulsa Will Dodge: The Failure or Reconstruction Epilogue Notes Bibliographic Essay Index The 1921 Tulsa Race Riot was America's bloodiest civil disturbance of the century. In this text, Alfred Brophy draws on his own extensive research into contemporary accounts and court documents to chronicle this devastating riot, showing how and why the rule of law quickly eroded At the beginning of May 1921, 8,000 people lived in Greenwood, the black section of Tulsa, which was situated just north of the center of the "magic city," as Tulsa called itself. An analysis of the 1921 Tulsa riot, with special emphasis on legal issues about responsibilities and possible reparations.