DoJ report acknowledges attack ‘was so systematic and coordinated that it transcended mere mob violence’
The DoJ’s findings acknowledged the role of Tulsa law enforcement in the massacre, including that of Tulsa police who “deputized hundreds of white residents, many of whom – immediately before being awarded a badge – had been drinking and agitating for [a lynching]”. According to the report, more than 500 men were deputized in less than 30 minutes.
he was told he “could now ‘go out and shoot any [N-word] you see and the law’ll be behind you’”.
The people who released it now are not the same people who decided not to release it 100 yrs ago. DOJ is not the same entity all the time, it changes with the people who work there. The people who work there now could have decided against releasing it, just like their predecessors. They didn’t. The fact it was not released back then is frustrating, but you cannot hold today’s DOJ accountable for that.