It’s unclear how to file human rights discrimination complaints with the city of Tulsa.
That’s according to past and present human rights commissioners, the city charter and the website where Tulsans are directed when they want to file complaints.
The city takes complaints for housing discrimination, public accommodation discrimination and impeding these reports, according to the city charter. The city’s website says Tulsans may file discrimination complaints by dropping off a form at the city or by using the city’s customer care line or website.
But human rights commissioners on Monday disputed the ease of filing a discrimination complaint. Commissioner Drew France said Tulsans making the complaints must visit city hall to have them finalized, even if they start the process online.
“I can go online and have bulky waste pick up a mattress or sofa picked up in front of my house, and I don’t have to go to city hall to have that accomplished. Yet if I have my housing rights violated or if I have other human rights violated that the city has jurisdiction over, it seems awfully antiquated and too much of a barrier to require my presence at city hall and a physical signature,” said France.
The city charter says discrimination complaints must be submitted through the city clerk’s office and a compliance officer. The charter doesn’t specify if a person making the complaint must do it in person or can submit online.
“We read it as, the only way you can have a human rights complaint filed is to show up at city hall and file it with the clerk’s office,” France said.
City compliance officer LaKendra Carter directed KWGS to the city’s resilience and equity page when asked if there was a way to submit complaints without visiting city hall. KWGS could not confirm if complaints could be submitted online because the website malfunctioned.
City councilor and past human rights committee chairwoman Laura Bellis said she got the same results when she tried to access the website.
Bellis says the process needs to be streamlined.
“It’s a combination both of making sure people know about it and the things that they can and should complain about if their rights have been violated, and making sure that when someone gets to the form, that is something they can understand how to fill out,” she said.
Bellis also said broader data about discrimination reports in Tulsa can’t be collected because the system is inaccessible.
“It needs to be a quick and easy login or site to find, something that’s shared with the public through different messaging campaigns that communities know about, that there’s QR codes out there for,” Bellis said.
