Protesters gathered outside The Summit Club in downtown Tulsa on Friday, demanding to speak with U.S. Sen. James Lankford and questioning how his religious values align with his political positions, particularly on immigration.
Lankford, Oklahoma’s senior U.S. senator, was inside speaking at a private Republican luncheon and did not acknowledge the demonstration outside.
Chants of, “God or Trump, you can’t support both,” came from a protester outside of The Summit Club, as protesters expressed frustration with what they described as the senator’s silence and inaccessibility.
Wally Bryce, a bystander who stopped to watch the protest, questioned Lankford’s approach to immigration as a man of faith.
“I don't know how the Christian right reconciles what we're doing with immigrants,” Bryce said. “Just one phrase in the Bible, ‘Love thy neighbor.’ They're our neighbors now. We got to love them. We don't need to deport them.”
Many protesters decried Oklahoma's education system, which WalletHub recently ranked second to last out of all states and D.C.
Leslie Springs criticized what she sees as a lack of engagement from Lankford and other Oklahoma lawmakers.
“Our two senators and our representatives for the Tulsa area, they won't meet with constituents,” Springs said. “They'll only meet with people that are just going to support his cruel policies.”
The protest was organized and promoted online by progressive advocacy groups including Oklahoma Blue Dots and Indivisible Tulsa County.
KWGS reached out to Lankford’s office about whether the senator plans to hold any public town halls. A spokesperson responded via email and said in part Lankford plans to spend August “on the road meeting with Oklahomans all over the state,” but the spokesperson did not provide details about any in-person town hall meetings.
