Stitt vs. Nichols on clearing vagrants from state-owned land in Tulsa

Governor Kevin Stitt has sent the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to Tulsa to clear campsites state-owned property, including highway underpasses and rights-of-way. Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, echoing the complaints of Washington city officials who object to President Trump calling in the National Guard to deal with public safety in the nation's capital, issued a whiny rebuttal to the governor.

Here's Stitt's press release:

Governor Kevin Stitt today announced the launch of Operation SAFE (Swift Action for Families Everywhere) to restore order and safety to Tulsa by clearing homeless encampments, trash, and criminal activity from state-owned property inside the city.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) has the legal authority to target state-owned property including underpasses, highways, state buildings, and other state-controlled land. Governor Stitt made clear that while the state is stepping up to fulfill its duty, the long-term responsibility for city property rests with the City of Tulsa's elected leadership. Governor Stitt has had numerous conversations with Mayor Nichols in recent weeks urging the city to gain control of the situation, but progress has fallen short of Tulsa residents' expectations.

"Tulsa is a beautiful city. I lived there for years. But today, everybody can see the disaster it's turning into-- homeless people on every corner, trash piling up, and Oklahoma families are being forced to live in fear," said Governor Stitt. "This is the city's job, but Mayor Nichols and Tulsa leadership haven't met the level of action needed to keep neighborhoods safe. Oklahoma is going to step in to do our part and clean it up. Once we've done so, it'll be on the City to keep Tulsa clean and safe. If they refuse, then we'll be forced to take further action to protect Tulsans."

Within the last 24 hours, OHP began issuing warnings to homeless individuals and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) began posting notices at encampments on state property to vacate and cease occupation, in accordance with 64 O.S. § 1097. These camps are often located along highway rights-of-way or beneath overpasses, creating severe hazard for the public and homeless individuals alike. ODOT will also lead remediation, clearing, and clean-up efforts.

OHP and ODOT are working with various agencies who are committed to helping individuals transition to safer, alternative living arrangements. If OHP encounters illegal immigrants during the operation, they will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation proceedings. Under the Governor's direction, State Troopers are offering homeless individuals two clear options:

• A ride to a treatment or housing facility.
• A ride to jail and face prosecution if they refuse help and continue breaking the law.

Chair of the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce, Bill Knight voiced support for the Governor's action: "Tulsa's business community supports leadership that prioritizes the safety of those who live and work within our city and region. We appreciate the governor's actions to enforce the laws and bolster Tulsa's pursuit to enhance quality of life. This initiative complements the ongoing efforts by various Tulsa entities, reinforcing our collective commitment to addressing complex issues like homelessness and public safety."

Interesting that the Chamber is backing Stitt on this. A friend notes that this may indicate the start of a fracture in the city establishment, here at the start of Kathy Taylor's fourth term as de facto mayor.

Nichols's response came as an email from CommunicationDept@CityOfTulsa.org:

Please attribute the following statement to Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols.

"First of all, Kevin Stitt has shown himself again to be an unserious person. When I took office, I inherited a homelessness crisis largely unaddressed by anyone in public office, including our two-term governor, who disbanded the interagency council on homelessness, which had a crippling impact on service providers, leading to what we have today. Instead of spending my time engaging in activities that won't reduce homelessness, I have created the Safe Move Initiative, which aims to get hundreds of people off the streets for good, rather than simply shifting the problem elsewhere. We have a goal to end homelessness by 2030, and we're on the pathway to doing that. I'm going to continue doing the job I was elected to do, and I am not interested in being lectured by someone who has proven time and time again that he only cares to intervene to score political points.

"As background on two separate areas, crime is down in all categories, and homelessness, which grew by over 20% the year before I took office, grew by only 4% this year. We have a long way to go, but we are making progress and will continue to do so. I will not be distracted or deterred from doing what we know is necessary to end this crisis in Tulsa."

So homelessness is still increasing in Tulsa, just at a slower rate than under the 2nd and 3rd Kathy Taylor terms (aka the GT Bynum administration). Just a month ago, the City of Tulsa engaged in its own right-of-way clearance effort, placing large boulders on level areas around the MTTA Tulsa Transit MetroLink bus station to discourage loitering and camping. The official City of Tulsa press release describes the boulders as the first phase of a "community art project," as well as a measure to prevent predators from "using the space to take advantage of individuals experiencing homelessness" (e.g. by selling them drugs). The prevention measure is to prevent the homeless from being there.

Several weeks ago, the City of Tulsa announced a new project near the sidewalk along 4th St. between S. Denver Ave. and S. Cheyenne, which is located near the Denver Avenue Bus Station. Boulders were placed at the site this week and the project will be progressing with an expected community art project in the coming weeks....

With public safety in mind and due to extreme heat, at the inception of this project, the City of Tulsa partnered with BeHeard, a nonprofit organization offering daytime shelter, shower facilities, and food accommodations. Shuttle services to and from BeHeard are offered to those who would like a safe space during the day and receive supportive services.

The BeHeard facility is at Admiral and 73rd East Avenue, in the parking lot of what used to be Calvary Baptist Church. (Calvary was taken over by First Baptist Owasso and turned into a satellite campus in 2017, then "relaunched" as Mesa Church in 2022.) This marks an ongoing effort by city agencies and the non-profit community, dating back at least to 2008's Building Tulsa Building Lives initiative, the closure of the downtown YMCA residence, and the controversy over the construction of the Yale Apartments, to encourage vagrants to leave downtown and disperse among low- to moderate-income neighborhoods around the city. I've heard anecdotal reports of increasing property crime in the vicinity of BeHeard.

It's a bit rich for Nichols to authorize clearance of city right-of-way and then complain about the state doing the same thing but on a larger scale.

We can't address the "homeless problem" until we can start being honest about the difference between vagrants, panhandlers, and hobos on the one hand and the economically displaced and temporarily alienated on the other. Compassionate measures intended to help the latter group can too easily become enabling of the chosen lifestyle of the former group.

MORE:

Griffin Media has quotes from Steve Whitaker of John 3:16 Mission, QuikTrip (which, as the biggest 24-hour convenience store chain in the region, is plagued with panhandlers, shoplifters, and vagrants), and the head of the Mental Health Association of Tulsa.

Z. B. Reeves satirizes the "community art project" boulders for The Pickup.