Protesters gathered Saturday at Woodward Park to decry the policies of President Trump. The event comes on the heels of a series of demonstrations across the country at the start of May.
Indivisible Tulsa, a grassroots political group, themed the protest as a “die-in.” Demonstrators brought mock gravestones to symbolize the death of democratic institutions, with messages like “KILLED BY RISING PRESCRIPTION COSTS.”
Gary Peluso-Verdend, theologian-in-residence at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, led the ceremony calling on people to unite.
“We are here both to mourn the current loss of the country we thought we lived in and because we want to see democracy live,” he said.
Trump has made historic cuts to the federal government in his quest to root out what he calls unnecessary bureaucracy. Most recently, the Justice Department lifted a school desegregation order in Louisiana and more initiatives dating back to the Civil Rights Movement are expected to fall.
Supporters say Trump is saving the United States by trimming waste, but protestor David Hays said he fears for the rights of minorities like himself.
“I lived through a period of my life where it was illegal to be gay, being gay was a mental illness. I’m not going back to the closet,” Hays said.
Hays is also fighting for the rights of immigrants under threat from federal authorities.
“ICE is invading homes in Oklahoma City now, they’re just taking people up off the street,” he said. “I work with a lot of immigrants who are the most amazing people in the world and they’re terrified. I’m scared… actually, I’m not really that scared anymore. I’m tired of it.”
Julia Karlak, a doctor, brought a mock gravestone symbolizing the death of the free press. Trump issued an executive order late Thursday seeking to freeze all funding for public broadcasters like PBS and NPR.
“Without the press, we’re done for,” she said.
Eliana Peluso-Verdend, whose father led the ceremony, brought a sign protesting possible funding cuts to suicide hotline resources for LGBTQ+ youth like themselves.
“I’m really in danger. A lot of people around me are in danger,” they said.
