Confusion in Tulsa: Mayor Issues Curfew as Trump Supporters Gather for Upcoming Rally

Matt Perdie / Breitbart News

Confusion descended upon downtown Tulsa on Thursday evening after the mayor issued a curfew for the area surrounding the BOK Center, where Trump supporters have already begun gathering in anticipation of Saturday’s rally.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum (R) signed an executive order instituting a 10 p.m. curfew for the area around the Bank of Oklahoma (BOK) Center, where the president’s rally is set to take place.

“As part of our preparations for President Trump’s Rally this Saturday, we are working on making the area secure for everyone’s safety,” the Tulsa Police Department said in a statement posted to social media late Thursday.

“In an effort to start clearing the area, Mayor GT Bynum has signed Executive Order 2020-11 which places a curfew for the area in the map,” the statement continued.

The curfew went into effect at 10 p.m. and will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday.

“After the rally there is a continued curfew from Saturday, June 20, 2020 until 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 21, 2020,” the police department explained.

“As Mayor, I have received information from the Tulsa Police Department and other law enforcement agencies that shows that individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive or violent behavior in other states are planning to travel to the City of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally,” the order states.

Per the order:

1. People are prohibited from walking, running, loitering, standing or motoring upon any alley, street, highway, public property, sidewalk, or vacant premises within the boundaries indicated above, except for official designated duty in response to the emergency, providing public safety services, or going to or from a place of residence or work.
2. The manufacture, transfer, use, possession or transportation of a Molotov cocktail or any other device, instrument or object designed to explode or produce uncontained combustion is prohibited within the limits of the City of Tulsa.
3. The transporting, possessing or using of gasoline, kerosene, or combustible, flammable, or explosive liquids or materials in a glass or uncapped container of any kind is prohibited within the limits of the City of Tulsa, except in connection with the normal operation of motor vehicles, normal home use or legitimate commercial use.

Breitbart News’s Matt Perdie was on the scene in Tulsa and confirmed that there is, indeed, a curfew but said it is not currently being enforced.

“There is a curfew, but it is not being enforced on these guys as long as they are behaving, essentially — as long as they are not causing any trouble,” Perdie said, noting that the situation could change.

“There’s going to be a shift change, at which point there could be different action potentially, but right now, it’s just not being enforced,” he added.

The Tulsa Police Department, in its official statement, stated that people who refuse to leave the area “may be cited or arrested.”

“We understand that many people are unaware that a curfew will be in place and barricades are still in the process of being setup. If we find anyone in violation of the Executive Order this evening, we will request that they leave the area based on the curfew,” the department said.

The department also updated the post, claiming that individuals camping in front of the BOK “are being moved”:

CURFEW IN EFFECT FOR DOWNTOWN

As part of our preparations for President Trump’s Rally this Saturday, we are working…

Posted by Tulsa Police Department on Thursday, June 18, 2020

This story is developing.

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