What is the future of Tulsa’s Equality Indicators?
The 54-measure report on social and economic inequalities in the city may yet be the subject of public hearings requested by Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper, so new councilors got a crash course on them this week. Hall-Harper wants to start with the racial disparity in police use of force: black Tulsans are five times more likely to experience it than Latinos and twice as likely than whites.
"And some of those discussions are going to be difficult or tough discussions, but we can’t shy away from that," Hall-Harper said.
The city charter says the council has the power to "investigate the conduct of the city government and may make appraisals, comments, and recommendations to the Mayor on the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of administrative practices, methods, systems, and controls." City attorneys said Hall-Harper should not participate in hearings about police use of force because her husband is a police officer, creating a conflict of interest.
Hall-Harper has said there is not a conflict because the hearing would not directly benefit her.
Hall-Harper also wants to talk about other things the city can affect, like public service disparities.
Asked during the council primer how generally wealthy south Tulsa can be trail north Tulsa on a score for bus stops, City Chief Resilience Officer DeVon Douglass said that’s just one layer to consider.
"The need for more bus stops in varied parts of town is not simply because we want people to, like, see the whole of Tulsa while on our buses. It’s so that they can get to work, and many of the jobs are in south Tulsa," Douglass said.
Douglass saidsince their April unveiling, the measures have spread outside city hall.
"We know that the YWCA, that Domestic Violence Intervention Services, we know that CAP Tulsa — they are all infusing Equality Indicators into their work," Douglass said.
The next Equality Indicators report will be released during a mid-April summit and will show progress the city has made in addressing disparities. Equality Indicators is a product of the mayor's office and the Community Service Council.
