Solomon Simmons Law

Join us for this live press conference.

The legal team representing the last two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and descendants in a groundbreaking lawsuit against the City of Tulsa will host a press conference on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, following the death Monday of Hughes "Uncle Redd" Van Ellis, who until his passing was the youngest of the remaining massacre survivors, at 102 years old.

The press conference will discuss the pressing nature of the case in light of Uncle Redd's death, and provide insights into the recent briefing filed with the Oklahoma Supreme Court

Muscogee District Court Judge Rules in Favor of Black Creek Freedmen in Citizenship Trial

Rhonda and Jeff's fight to restore the rights of Black Creek freedmen is making progress.

The judge presiding over the case awarded fees in favor of Rhonda and Jeff and ruled that attorneys representing the Citizenship Board must provide additional documentation and answers to questions by March 17th, 2023, or risk facing further sanctions.

The trial is set to commence on April 4th, 2023.

Join us ahead of the hearing to keep the momentum, where we'll be joined by Tiffany Cross!

The former host of MSNBC’s The Cross Connection and author of Say It Louder: Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy (Amistad/HarperCollins) and most recently served as a Resident Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics (Spring 2020).

Her broad experience across media, politics and policy includes more than two decades of navigating newsrooms and campaigns while engaging different constituencies on the ground.

She previously served as the DC Bureau Chief of BET News and the Liaison to the Obama Administration for BET Networks where she covered Capitol Hill, produced political specials, and oversaw the daily operations of the news department. Tiffany also transitioned from the control room to the green room when she co-founded The Beat DC, a national platform intersecting politics, policy, business, media, and people of color.

Event: Press Conference hosted by Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, lead attorney, and Justice for Black Creeks Coalition

When: November 30th, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM CST

Where: Greenwood Cultural Center 322 N Greenwood Ave, Tulsa, OK 74120

Why: Muscogee (Creek) Nation District Courts Judge Denette Mouser officially ruled Black Creeks and their descendants had “languished long enough— allowing Rhonda Grayson and Jeff Kennedy on behalf of the Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band their day in court!

Who: Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, and the Justice for Black Creeks Coalition: Justice for Greenwood, Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band, Terence Crutcher Foundation, and more!

MUSCOGEE, OKLAHOMA, NOV 28 2022 — In March 2020, Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons of SolomonSimmonsLaw filed a petition in the Muscogree (Creek) Nation (MCN) District Court on behalf of his Creek Freedmen clients, Rhonda Grayson and Jeff Kennedy, against the MCN Citizenship Board for violating Article II of the Creak Treaty of 1866; the U.S. Constitution; the Principal Chiefs Act of 1970; the Indian Civil Rights Act, 25 U.S.C. §§ 1301, et seq.; and the Treaty of 1866, by denying our clients their citizenship rights because they are Black.

Article II of the Creak Treaty of 1866 enshrines as the “supreme law of the land” that Black Creeks, “shall have and enjoy all the rights and privileges of native citizens'' of the MCN. Creek Treaty of 1866, Art. 2, June 14, 1866, 14 Stat. 785, 1866 WL 18777 (hereinafter “Treaty of 1866”).

“We are left out of Oklahoma history. It is a missing piece of history and it’s a valuable piece of history. Oklahoma history wouldn’t be – can’t be – history without the Black Creeks .” —Rhonda Grayson, Plaintiff and Leader of the Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band.

"The Creek nation is “not a race, it’s a political entity, and they are not above the law. The treaty is still good law and hasn’t been abrogated”. —Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons

Motivated by anti-Black racism, the MCN has engaged in a slew of dilatory tactics to preclude Black Creeks like Rhonda and Jeff from citizenship.
Now after years of waiting, on December 1st, 2022, at 10 AM CST, MCN Judge Denette Mouser will have a hearing to decide whether the MCN can continue to ignore the Treaty of 1866.

Greenwood, most revered for “Black Wall Street” was co-founded by Black Creeks—it became one of the most prosperous, organized, and successful Black communities in United States history, and a place for Black people to escape the political, economic, and social oppression of southern lawmakers post civil war.
But when the Tulsa Race Massacre occurred, it weakened Greenwood survivors and descendants' ability to fight against urban renewal, and then consecutively the Muscogee Creek Nation’s 1979 decision to illegally remove Black Creeks from the Nation.

If we don’t win on December 1, everything that we’re doing to restore the citizenship rights Black Creeks, justice for Greenwood, and the national momentum for racial justice and reparations could be over.

Watch LIVE on this platform on Wednesday, Nov 30 @ 11:30am CST!

We've been trying our best to get the word out about what's happening here in Tulsa both locally and nationally.

Our dear friend and member of our legal team, Eric Miller, Professor at Loyola Marymount recently spoke with NPR to spread the word to our "Massacre descendants' group: Don't submit your DNA to Tulsa graves investigators."

But ironically, the conversation around 'personal dna data ownership' and rights to access to a person's private data for health related reasons or cases involving missing persons has increased across the nation.

Friends, we're working with DNA experts because we don't have all of the answers right now—however, until the appropriate legal parameters are in place, the police should not be allowed to take advantage of the loopholes that exist today.

Especially when they themselves aren't willing participants, according to this tweet from the LegalAid Society - New York Chapter: "The fact that rank and file officers are unwilling to have their DNA stored due to privacy concerns puts a laugh to their argument that it’s not a big deal to have your DNA collected as long as you’re not committing crimes."

We are going to meet on August 25 at 6:30 pm CT/ 3:30 pm PT for a virtual town hall with our community. This is going to be an open conversation about your rights and who should have access to your personal information.

RSVP right now and get a link to the DNA Databases: Know Your Rights event. https://bit.ly/3CiElwX

[If you have the time, watch this segment before we get together, "Privacy concerns arise over DNA program for Tulsa Race Massacre mass graves".
https://ktul.com/news/local/privacy-concerns-arise-over-dna-program-for-tulsa-mass-graves?mc_cid=06be48a1c7&mc_eid=c2764fbaaa

Here's some background information for those
of you who may have missed the news:

A few weeks ago, we were notified about the City of Tulsa contracting out the sophisticated job of identifying the 14 DNA samples secured from the mass graves site at Oaklawn Cemetery. https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/tulsa-massacre-victims-dna-descendants-identification/?mc_cid=06be48a1c7&mc_eid=c2764fbaaa

I wish this were news to celebrate.

However, they've created no privacy protections for the descendants or Black people in Greenwood and North Tulsa who decide to submit their DNA willingly.

And that is a HUGE problem.

In New Jersey, State police just subpoenaed their state-run lab for a blood sample that was drawn from a child.

The sample that was obtained from the state-run lab linked to an immediate family member, whose DNA allegedly was at the scene of a crime that took place 25 years ago.

We're planning to share more in our LIVE Townhall with experts including Loyola Marymount Professor and Lawyer Eric Miller, will discuss the legal implications of DNA databases and if you're a member of the Greenwood Descendant Community, why you should not submit your DNA to the City-led project.⁠

We hope that you'll join us.

Live Press Conference: Historic Court Ruling - Last living survivors of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre entitled to prove the massacre was a "public nuisance"

It’s been 30 days since Tulsa County Judge and the people of OK heard the historic motion to dismiss hearing in the case for —but until we receive a decision about a fair trial for the , we can't let up on the work that still needs to be done to reverse hundreds of years of racial harm.

Send your questions before the upcoming Town Hall on 10/28! Email [email protected].

Catch up on the Case for Reparations with the Justice for Greenwood team! Join Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher and other members of the Justice for Greenwood team to learn about the fight for reparations in .

Let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Today will be a historic day for Tulsans, and Black Americans across the nation—it's been over 100 years in the making.

Tomorrow, we begin the journey to justice & healing for survivors & descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre—and the discussion for restoration for ALL Black Americans.⁠
⁠
Video credit: Apollo Hesser

We have to let Tulsa's city government know that we will not back down from fighting for , and we urgently need your help reaching as many people as we can to make sure we do it.

RSVP for this free online event at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/justice-for-greenwood-virtual-town-hall-re-sept-28th-hearing-in-tulsa-tickets-172846236747?aff=efbeventtix&fbclid=IwAR0mQ-LuB3ovYLng68NIP0fyRFEekhjtTtkbg6hGW3RbVTl8YCv27XbuIAU

Help the survivors & descendants of the Tulsa Massacre by taking action at www.JusticeforGreenwood.org/action.

At the end of this month, attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons of SolomonSimmonsLaw, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and a team of civil and human rights lawyers will appear in court on September 28th to defend Tulsa's three last-known living survivors, and descendants.

Now you may recall that back on March 15th the City of Tulsa and other named defendants filed 7 motions to dismiss the public nuisance lawsuit filed by the team.

Let's be clear: When no legal action is taken against acts of racial terror, that gives permission for it to happen again. There's absolutely nothing vague about the anti-Black racism that destroyed lives in 1921 and the continued harm today.

The truth is, we cannot afford to miss the mark on this. That's why in this upcoming town hall our team will discuss what's at stake on September 28th and share action items for taking meaningful action in the days leading up.

Our next town hall event is right around the corner! Join us via Facebook or YouTube livestream. RSVP Today! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/justice-for-greenwood-virtual-town-hall-re-sept-28th-hearing-in-tulsa-tickets-172846236747?aff=efbeventtix&fbclid=IwAR0mQ-LuB3ovYLng68NIP0fyRFEekhjtTtkbg6hGW3RbVTl8YCv27XbuIAU

If enough people come forward to support the movement for justice in Tulsa, we could have supporters across the country calling for with us — more than we’ve ever see before. But to make sure we’re prepared for what’s to come, we’re relying on our community to rally with us. It’s the only way our movement will have the energy it needs to build upon our process and make strategic moves ahead of high-stakes moments like September 28th.

We hope you'll join us!

Thank you so much for your support,
Justice For Greenwood Foundation

Have questions for the Justice for Greenwood team? Fill out this Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Jfrxvbt33UgbN7lM4z4uy6czxM2_dNC1CRtUr4_B1wE/edit?fbclid=IwAR3s1FqXe4MlpDHX6MkgO5jDjUu0CJu5jL8d52dpELAAJrKsD88vzqlLFtw