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TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa officials have …
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TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa officials have rescinded a curfew tied to President Donald Trump’s controversial rally scheduled there Saturday in an extraordinary reversal that came after Trump spoke with the city’s mayor.
“I just spoke to the highly respected Mayor of Tulsa, G. T. Bynum, who informed me there will be no curfew (((tonight or tomorrow))) for our many supporters attending the #MAGA Rally. Enjoy yourselves – thank you to Mayor Bynum!” Trump tweeted on Friday, hours before he was set to touch down for the pivotal campaign event.
The move represented a reversal by Bynum, a Republican, who hours earlier imposed a curfew to cover Friday and Saturday nights. The timing of that curfew represented a challenge to Trump rally attendees, many of whom have been lined up for days at the BOK Center in anticipation of the rally.
Trump’s rally is being closely watched by supporters and critics because it is his first event since a rally in North Carolina in March during the early weeks of the coronavirus. Local health officials in Oklahoma had recommended against holding the massive indoor event for fear it could spread the virus further.
White House officials had initially said the curfew was aimed not at Trump rally attendees but rather at protesters, many of which are expected to converge on the city for both to oppose the Trump rally but also to honor the Juneteenth holiday. Added to that mix: Thousands of Trump supporters unable to get into the 19,000-seat rally venue.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Friday denied a request for a temporary injunction to block the BOK Center in Tulsa from hosting President Donald Trump’s campaign rally Saturday.
The justices cited a lack of any mandatory language in the state’s reopening plan, which provides social distancing guidelines for entertainment venues.
Attorneys in Tulsa filed a lawsuit earlier this week on behalf of two businesses and two residents to stop ASM Global, which manages the 19,000-seat arena, from hosting the rally “to protect against a substantial, imminent and deadly risk to the community.”
They argued the rally should be prohibited because it would act as a “spreader” event for the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
The petition cited a rise in documented cases of COVID-19 in Tulsa County, which have spiked in recent days. Oklahoma set a new state record for case increases in a single day on Thursday, confirming 450 new cases. The state added 352 new cases on Friday, giving it 802 new cases in two days.
“Despite this alarming uptick… ASM Global plans to host an event that will bring tens of thousands of people into an enclosed area in downtown Tulsa… without putting precautions in place to prevent the spread of the virus,” the petition stated.
“All credible, qualified medical experts, including the CDC, agree that this type of mass-gathering indoor event creates the greatest possible risk of community-wide viral transmission.”
The Trump campaign said it will check attendees temperature as they come in, provide hand sanitizer and issue masks but not require they be worn. Tickets to the rally come with a liability waiver that says the campaign or other parties associated with the event cannot be held liable for exposure to the coronavirus.
In addition, the BOK Center will provide personal protective gear to event staff, periodically clean and disinfect the arena during the rally, and install plexiglass partitions at all concessions stands.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said earlier this week that people concerned about the spread of COVID-19 at the rally should stay home.
– Tim Willert, The Oklahoman
A Trump campaign spokesman said Friday peaceful protests are common around the president’s rallies, but that officials hope the latest event in Tulsa on Saturday doesn’t become as violent as protests for racial justice in other cities.
