State officials have told legislators and legislative staff to avoid the state Capitol this weekend because of the possibility of armed protesters showing up there.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Lawmakers and staff are being told to avoid the Oklahoma Capitol this weekend following reports of possible armed protests at statehouses across the nation.
“After consultation with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol at the Department of Public Safety, Senate Security Coordinator and Sergeant-at-Arms Adam Cain has advised that for your safety, Senators and all Senate personnel should not come to the Capitol this weekend, on Saturday, January 16 or Sunday, January 17,” Senate Chief Operating Officer Arnella Karges wrote Wednesday in a message to staff and senators.
The message said that federal, state and local law enforcement are preparing for a possibility of protests at the Capitol.
The action comes after supporters of President Donald Trump last week stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the 2020 presidential election certification process. Five people died and property was destroyed by the violent mob.
Trump has been accused of instigating the action after claiming he was only defeated by Democrat Joe Biden because of election interference.
Aaron Cooper, a spokesman for Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said the message to stay away from the Capitol was sent out in an abundance of caution and not in response to any particular information.
Jason Sutton, Oklahoma House of Representatives director of operations and administration, also sent members and staff a message recommending they do the same.
“The FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies have been closely monitoring the possibility of armed protests at state Capitols across the nation this weekend, including some threats of violence,” Sutton wrote.
Rep. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow, who is among those who thought there were problems in other states with the election, does not anticipate unrest occurring in the state.
“I don’t think Oklahoma will see that,” McDugle said. “If we do, I think the conservatives who are disappointed are not the same ones who are going to cause that kind of chaos. So, my personal belief is I hope it doesn’t happen in Oklahoma. I won’t be there. I wouldn’t support anything like that.”
Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, said she didn’t think leadership would send a message if there were not a credible threat.
“That means that as a result of what happened at our U.S. Capitol last week, we know for a fact it is not hysteria that makes us think something significant will happen,” she said. “I plan to take every precaution necessary and I will certainly be avoiding the Capitol as long as they tell me a risk exists.”
Jan. 21 is the deadline for bill filing for the upcoming session.
Cooper did not expect a potential protest to affect bill filing.
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Pictures of the year by the Tulsa World photo staff
Gallery: Tulsa World’s people to watch 2021
Gallery: Tulsa World's people to watch 2021
People to Watch - Amy Brown
As Tulsa’s deputy mayor and, since November, its chief administrative officer, Amy Brown does a lot of “non-glamorous, behind-the-curtain work,” as she puts it.
But she’s also the administration’s point person on at least one very public project expected to attract national and even international attention in 2021 — the search for unmarked burials from Tulsa’s 1921 Race Massacre.
People to Watch - Sen. Kevin Matthews
State Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, is pictured in front of the Greenwood Rising history center being built at Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street, the once and perhaps future crossroads of a thriving African American commercial district.
In 2017 Matthews introduced Senate Bill 17 as part of his goal to build a reminder of the 1921 Race Massacre and a memorial to what he calls “the most resilient people on this earth,” who built, rebuilt and persevered through many setbacks over past 100 years.
People to Watch - Ryan Walters
Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters may not get all interested parties on the same page in the coming year, but he hopes to at least get them in the same room.
Gov. Kevin Stitt nominated Walters for secretary of education in September as part of a cabinet reorganization. It is the first time Stitt has had a cabinet officer who is solely focused on education.
A McAlester native, Walters taught full-time in the McAlester Public Schools for eight years and continues teaching Advanced Placement courses there and in Millwood Public Schools, even after becoming executive director of Oklahoma Achieves, an education initiative of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce.
People to Watch - Aliye Shimi
“We have had many people turning to their faith traditions and faith communities at a time like this," said Aliye Shimi, executive director of the interfaith Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.
"We see it any time there’s a disaster, everybody kind of turns to faith.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in congregations and their memberships during this time. Where you would have thought we’d have a drop off, it’s been an increase. Even in giving."
People to Watch - Becky Gligo
“I love this job,” said Becky Gligo, housing policy director for the city of Tulsa and soon to be full-time director of the nonprofit Housing Solutions. “I’m a full-blown housing nerd.” That’s good, because COVID-19 is turning what was already a problem in Tulsa into a potential crisis. In moving from the city to the lead agency for the area nonprofits fighting homelessness, Gligo (pronounced GLEE-go) will be right in the middle of the fray. With a federal eviction moratorium expiring at the end of the year and landlords feeling the strain of lost revenue, Gligo and others fear a wave of homelessness in 2021.
<&underline>Click here to read more.</&underline>People to Watch - Mike Bausch
Mike Bausch knows the pain most Tulsa restaurants, and just about all small businesses, have suffered this year.
Bausch and his brother Jim own a group of Tulsa restaurants that includes Andolini’s Pizza, STG Gelaterias and Prossimo Italian Ristorante. Between the economic downturn and the isolation measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Bausch enterprises have taken some lumps, says Mike.
But they’ve also found ways to survive and even improve.
People to Watch - Jennifer Murphy
Earlier this year, at about the same time many American cities roiled with anger over law enforcement tactics, Lt. Jennifer Murphy was given the job of convincing some skeptical Tulsans that the police could be their friends.
As part of his reorganization of the department, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin put Murphy in charge of a new Community Engagement Unit. The unit mostly combined initiatives already operating independently, but without much coordination or combined focus.
People to Watch - Joe Deere
Cherokee Tribal Councilor Joe Deere says his job calls for a lot of hats.
The one Tulsans are most likely to see him wearing is for community involvement.
Whether that’s organizing a food distribution at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, volunteering for the Special Olympics or figuring out how to improve access to tribal services, Deere has committed himself to helping people get through the COVID-19 pandemic and to raising the Cherokee Nation’s profile in Tulsa.
People to Watch - Lori Long
Lori Long picked a heck of a time to become executive director of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
After 12 years leading the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, Long took over northeastern Oklahoma’s largest food assistance network on March 30 — just in time for an unprecedented wave of demand caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.
In April, Long’s first month on the job, the food bank moved a record 3.8 million pounds of food. In September, it went over 4 million pounds.
People to Watch - Dr. David Kendrick
A high school job entering genome sequencing data introduced Dr. David Kendrick to medical science, so it’s perhaps not surprising that his career revolves around information systems.
To be sure, there is an M.D. after his name, with specialties in pediatrics and internal medicine. But at the top of a long list of job titles are chairman of the Department of Informatics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Tulsa and and chief executive officer of MyHealth Access Network.
That’s a mouthful that may not mean much to the average Tulsan — at least not until they wind up in the back of ambulance or a hospital emergency room.
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Barbara Hoberock
Capitol Bureau Writer
I have covered the Oklahoma Legislature since 1994. I cover politics, appellate courts, state agencies and the governor. I have worked for the Tulsa World since 1990. Phone: 405-528-2465
