TULSA, Okla. — (TULSA, Okla.) -- Descendants of the 1921 Tula Race Massacre are being urged to avoid submitting DNA samples to the city's investigation project amid privacy concerns which would delay efforts to identify remains found in a mass grave many believe is linked to the tragedy.
Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood was an affluent area known as"Black Wall Street" and was home to 1,200 Black residents and hundreds of Black-owned businesses in the early 1900s. A confrontation between groups of white and Black residents following the arrest of a young Black man named Dick Rowland, who was accused of assaulting a white girl, ended with 35 city blocks being burned to the ground on the evening of May 31, 1921.
The city of Tulsa is working with Utah-based lab Intermountain Forensics to examine the remains. Scientists have been able to extract DNA from two of the 14 individuals so far. "The city is trying to encourage descendants to feel a sense of buy-in by donating their DNA," said Eric Miller, an attorney with Justice for Greenwood, during the town hall.
UC Davis law professor Elizabeth Joh, who has written extensively and teaches courses on criminal law and procedure, policing, and surveillance, spoke during the meeting."What Tulsa does is going to be followed by other communities. States are only beginning to start to look at this issue," Joh said at the townhall.
Dilley says anyone participating in the project can choose the level of confidentiality they want. Researchers at Intermountain Forensics will be able to see any genetic matches but will not have access to any raw data or individual genetic profiles.
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