TULSA, OKLA. (KTUL) — As Juneteenth festivities continue in Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District, safety concerns have risen after a violent altercation during Thursday night’s events.
A fight broke out that left one person unconscious and sent a wave of panic through the crowd as many fled to safety. Some witnesses reported seeing individuals with firearms.
“We were in a dance circle just dancing around and then all of a sudden, everybody started running,” said one anonymous bystander. “Later we saw that he had like a blue beam, like from a gun, light beam on his shirt.”
Local artist and entrepreneur Donte Williams also witnessed the situation unfold from inside Tee’s Barbershop.
“It was about 10:30 at night. I happened to look through the window, and there was a guy standing on the other side. He looked around, pulled out a gun from under his shirt and cocked it,” Williams said.
While the ages of those involved in the altercation have not yet been confirmed, the incident adds to growing concerns following two other recent shootings involving groups of teens—one at Tulsa’s Crybaby Hill and another early Friday morning in North Tulsa.
Williams believes stricter security measures, such as restricting under-21 access after a certain time, could prevent similar incidents.
“I just talked to another security guard, he was saying that after 9:00 we should have the gates up. If you ain’t over 21, you can’t come. I think that could’ve avoided what happened last night,” Williams said.
Mark Jeans, owner of Triarms Security Solutions and part of the Greenwood District's security, says visibility helps to maintain a safe environment for attendees.
“We’re contracted for the Greenwood Chamber, and we just make sure we’re keeping a good visible awareness to foster a safe place for everyone to walk around, learn some history, feel safe,” Jeans said.
“City of Tulsa, they have a lot of visibility out right now. Other security companies are also here working as well. Being visible helps keep the bad guys that have any bad intentions or any plans to do anything, they’ll think twice.” he added.
Community members like Williams are focused on the bigger picture and want the violence to stop.
“I love the people here. It’s more like family than business here, and that’s how I see it. I want to protect the people coming down here to be a part of this,” he said.
The Tulsa Police Department has not confirmed whether they will increase security for the rest of the Juneteenth events.
