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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 10 July 2023

Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race

Massacre

By JAKE BLEIBERG from the massacre, during
Associated Press which an angry white mob
An Oklahoma judge has descended on a 35-block
thrown out a lawsuit seek- area, looting, killing and
ing reparations for the 1921 burning it to the ground.
Tulsa Race Massacre, dash- Beyond those killed, thou-
ing an effort to obtain some sands more were left
measure of legal justice by homeless and living in a
survivors of the deadly rac- hastily constructed intern-
ist rampage. ment camp.
Judge Caroline Wall on Fri- The city and insurance
day dismissed with preju- companies never com-
dice the lawsuit trying to pensated victims for their
force the city and others to losses, and the massacre
make recompense for the ultimately resulted in racial
destruction of the once- and economic disparities
thriving Black district known that still exist today, the
as Greenwood. lawsuit argued. It sought a
The order comes in a case detailed accounting of the
by three survivors of the at- property and wealth lost or
tack, who are all now over In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Okla. stolen in the massacre, the
Associated Press
100 years old and sued construction of a hospital
in 2020 with the hope of has an equal opportunity tice for Greenwood, said cally nonpartisan, but Wall in north Tulsa and the cre-
seeing what their attorney for a great life,” he said. in a statement. “There is no has described herself as ation of a victims compen-
called “justice in their life- A lawyer for the survivors — semblance of justice or ac- a “Constitutional Conser- sation fund, among other
time.” Lessie Benningfield Randle, cess to justice here.” vative” in past campaign things.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum Viola Fletcher and Hughes Wall, a Tulsa County Dis- questionnaires. A Chamber of Commerce
said in a statement that the Van Ellis — did not say Sun- trict Court judge, wrote in The lawsuit was brought un- attorney previously said
city has yet to receive the day whether they plan to a brief order that she was der Oklahoma’s public nui- that the massacre was hor-
full court order. “The city appeal. But a group sup- tossing the case based on sance law, saying the ac- rible, but the nuisance it
remains committed to find- porting the lawsuit suggest- arguments from the city, tions of the white mob that caused was not ongoing.
ing the graves of 1921 Tulsa ed they are likely to chal- regional chamber of com- killed hundreds of Black res- Fletcher, who is 109 and
Race Massacre victims, lenge Wall’s decision. merce and other state and idents and destroyed what the oldest living survivor, re-
fostering economic invest- “Judge Wall effectively local government agen- had been the nation’s most leased a memoir last week
ment in the Greenwood condemned the three liv- cies. She had ruled against prosperous Black business about the life she lived in
District, educating future ing Tulsa Race Massacre the defendants’ motions district continue to affect the shadow of the massa-
generations about the Survivors to languish — to dismiss and allowed the the city today. cre. It will become widely
worst event in our commu- genuinely to death — on case to proceed last year. It contended that Tulsa’s available for purchase in
nity’s history, and building Oklahoma’s appellate Local judicial elections long history of racial divi- August.q
a city where every person docket,” the group, Jus- in Oklahoma are techni- sion and tension stemmed

The FDA is being asked to look into Logan Paul’s energy drink

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ ber of energy drinks with tives for PRIME did not im-
NEW YORK (AP) — An influ- elevated levels of caf- mediately return a request
encer-backed energy drink feine; in PRIME’s case, 200 for comment.
that has earned viral popu- milligrams per 12 ounces, But in his letter to the FDA,
larity among children is fac- equivalent to about half a Schumer claimed there
ing scrutiny from lawmakers dozen Coke cans or nearly was little noticeable differ-
and health experts over its two Red Bulls. ence in the online market-
potentially dangerous lev- That high content prompt- ing of the two drinks – lead-
els of caffeine. ed bans from some schools ing many parents to be-
On Sunday, Sen. Charles in the United Kingdom and lieve they were purchasing
Schumer called on the Australia where some pe- a juice for their kids, only to
Food and Drug Administra- diatricians warned of pos- wind up with a “cauldron
tion to investigate PRIME, a sible health impacts on of caffeine.”
beverage brand founded A child holds a PRIME hydration drink prior to a baseball young children such as “A simple search on so-
by the YouTube stars Lo- game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona heart problems, anxiety, cial media for Prime will
gan Paul and KSI that has Diamondbacks, March 31, 2023, in Los Angeles. and digestive issues. generate an eye-popping
become something of an Associated Press Company representatives, amount of sponsored con-
obsession among the influ- “But buyer and parents be- last year, prompting long meanwhile, have defend- tent, which is advertising,”
encers’ legions of young ware because it’s a serious lines in grocery stores and ed the product as clearly he wrote. “This content and
followers. health concern for the kids reports of school yard re- labeled “not recommend- the claims made should
“One of the summer’s hot- it so feverishly targets.” sale markets. ed for children under 18.” be investigated, along
test status symbols for kids is Backed by two of You- Advertising itself as zero They sell a separate sports with the ingredients and
not an outfit, or a toy—it’s a Tube’s best known stars, sugar and vegan, the drink, known as PRIME Hy- the caffeine content in the
beverage,” said Schumer, PRIME was an immediate neon-colored cans are dration, which contains no Prime energy drink.”q
a Democrat from New York. sensation when it launched among a growing num- caffeine at all. Representa-