A small group of Tulsans is asking whether or not the city should reaffirm a commitment to compassion first made in 2015.
The Charter for Compassion was created after scholar Karen Armstrong found that most world religions share what Christians know as the Golden Rule: treat others how you would like to be treated.
Armstrong's idea of common values was translated into a document affirming a commitment to compassion. More than 2 million people in hundreds of worldwide communities embraced the charter, according to a related website.
Tulsa signed on under Mayor Dewey Bartlett with the goal of being the first city in Oklahoma to signal a commitment to compassion.
Tulsa’s Charter for Compassion describes the city as “the Mother Road of Compassion in America.” It declares a need to establish a model compassionate community for the city’s “diverse population of religious, political, and ethnic groups.”
Now, a handful of Tulsans are asking whether the city should reaffirm its Charter for Compassion, and the answer is unclear.
“I think we’re gonna kick this open and it’s gonna be a hornet’s nest,” said Dave Walker. “There’s a lot of people who aren’t saying things now, but if you do this, they will speak.”
Walker is a member of the city’s Human Rights Commission. The group met Monday in part to briefly discuss ideas around reaffirming the Charter for Compassion.
Gary Peluso-Verdend is a member of Compassionate Tulsa, an HRC steering committee created by the charter. He acknowledged current challenges around the definition of compassion but said he’d like to see a chain effect.
“If we could get to a place where, as we’re making decisions around the city, it’s like having a bracelet on. The bracelet would be standing for, ‘What is the compassionate thing to do?’ And that question becomes a part of every major decision. That would be evidence of a really fabulous change,” said Peluso-Verdend.
Still, several people were concerned that reaffirming such a statement in the country’s current political climate would bring unwanted attention to Tulsa.
“I think we’re at risk of putting the mayor and the city council in a position they don’t need to be in,” said Drew France, HRC member.
Cities across the country are reassessing policies in light of newly elected President Donald Trump’s commitments, especially around immigration. Trump has promised to deport every undocumented person in the country.
The Washington Post reports after many publicized arrests, the administration is currently falling far short of its goal of 1,200 to 1,500 arrests per day.
No decisions were made, but approaches other than having the city council reaffirm the charter were suggested. Individual oaths for officials were mentioned, as well as involving other city commissions.
Before the conversation ended, Compassionate Tulsa member Drew Diamond cautioned that the city could be entering a time where a call to compassion might not go astray.
“We’re gonna come to the test. And I believe, I want to believe, truly believe, we’re up to the test.”
