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More than 100 people turned out for a rally and march Tuesday night, demanding action against deputies who are seen and heard in a video showing the fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a Tulsa County reserve deputy.
The rally began with a few dozen people in the plaza in front of the Tulsa County Courthouse and quickly grew to more than 100. A group called “We the People Oklahoma” organized the rally to call for action by Sheriff Stanley Glanz following the shooting of Eric Harris by Robert Bates, a reserve deputy.
Bates, also an insurance company owner, was Glanz’s campaign manager. He has purchased and donated cars and equipment for the sheriff’s Violent Crime Task Force, on which he served.
Harris died April 2 following an undercover gun buy and foot chase. Harris was on the ground when he was shot in the side by Bates, 73, who said he mistook his gun for a Taser.
Harris repeatedly said he’d been shot and then said, “I’m losing my breath,” but deputies did not render medical aid at that point. One deputy, identified Tuesday by the Tulsa World as Joseph Byars, can be heard on a video released by the Sheriff’s Office saying: “F--- your breath.”
Another deputy, Michael Huckeby, placed his knee on Harris’ head after he was shot.
Those attending the rally Tuesday evening marched from the courthouse down Denver Avenue to the Sheriff’s Office in the Dave Faulkner Building. They gathered on the sidewalk as speakers decried what they said is a pattern of law enforcement bias against minorities in Tulsa.
The marchers held signs and chanted: “Hands up, don’t shoot,” a reference to the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.
Jonathan Townsend told the crowd that law enforcement policies often allow abusive practices.
“Where’s the respect for human life?” asked Townsend, a candidate for Tulsa’s state House District 73. “It’s up to us to change those policies at the ballot box.”
Many speakers pointed out that no elected officials attended the rally or addressed the protesters. The group has asked to meet with Glanz to discuss Harris’ shooting and Byars’ comment.
Undersheriff Tim Albin said earlier Tuesday that Byars and Huckeby did not hear the gunshot and were initially unaware that Harris had been shot.
Harris’ family issued a statement Wednesday evening, saying: “We appreciate the community support. At the same time, we implore the protesters to remain peaceful. The last thing Eric would want is any violence or destruction in his name.
“As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, violence only multiplies evil. We ask that you join us in our prayers for justice, peace and unity.”
