In some government performed the deed. In none did government prevent the deed. In none did government punish the deed. And that, in the end, is what this inquiry and what these recommendations are all about. Again, the commission is asking for reparations 80 years after the riot.
Reparations are the right thing to do.
Alfred Brophy, a professor of law at Oklahoma City University, presents his case of the City of Tulsa and the Oklahoma National Guard having been two of the bad guys in the riot. However, racist acts by members of the local law enforcement or National Guard do not constitute city or state policy to start or participate in the race riot. That is comparable to saying that the FBI is behind Soviet espionage simply because of treasonous acts committed by 25-year veteran Robert Philip Hanssen. Using reparations as a vehicle to go after the deep pockets of the government, funded by the hard-earned money of you and me, is morally wrong. Consider that several Oklahomans did not live in this state during 1921, nor did they have any relatives living in this state during that period.