TULSA, Okla. — Several Black Lives Matter demonstrations took place throughout Tulsa on Saturday, at moments with tension between protesters and President Donald Trump supporters. But time and again, there were conversations between both sides.
Amid all things Trump, a message of racial justice echoed throughout downtown Tulsa.
Supporters and demonstrators alike tried to get their message across leading up to the president's historic visit.
"It’s Juneteenth weekend, and the fact he tried to have his rally is a disgrace,” said Sincere Terry, visiting from Oklahoma City. “The fact that this man tried to call Juneteenth a holiday is a disgrace.”
And that led some to frank discussions.
"The reason we’re here, to try to get our word out, we’re no longer fighting for our freedom,” Terry said. “We’re fighting for our lives, and that’s going to stop. And we’re tired of being belittled by America.”
That’s a sentiment she shared with several Trump supporters.
"Freedom, liberty and justice, and that’s what I told her,” a Trump supporter who declined to give her name said, “and I think that’s what she’s for. We are aligned on our core values. We’re just not aligned [on] who is the best guy to execute that right.”
But Terry said she believes this conversation is far from over.
"We care about our lives,” she said, “and we’re not going to stop until we get justice because we’re not scared and we won’t be scared.”
Protester organizers have said they're doing their best to avoid any violence and vandalism because it detracts from their message.
