Tulsa now requires work to stop when human remains or artifacts turn up in Greenwood

TULSA, Okla. (Oct. 30) — Construction crews in Tulsa's historic Greenwood District will now have to stop work when they dig up human remains or cultural artifacts, under an ordinance the City Council passed unanimously Wednesday.

The measure, sponsored by Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper, adds a chapter called "Human Remains and Cultural Artifacts" to the city's cemetery rules, News On 6 reported. It covers Greenwood, sites tied to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, burial grounds in historically Black neighborhoods and places with documented racial violence against Black residents.

Under the final text, anyone who finds remains or a possible burial site must halt work in that area, notify law enforcement as state law requires and secure the site, The Tulsa Local News reported. On city property, city projects or work that needs a city permit, the city's cultural liaison must also be told, and work can't restart without written approval.

Descendants are to be consulted before the city decides on excavation, reburial or memorials. If the city goes against a documented consensus of identified descendants, it has to explain why in writing. The ordinance bars the city from displaying remains and favors respectful reburial.

It also creates a seven-member advisory review panel, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, with a majority made up of descendants or representatives of affected Black communities. Violations are misdemeanors carrying a fine of up to $1,200, up to 90 days in jail or both. An emergency clause lets the rules take effect right away.

The push came from the chair of Tulsa's Beyond Apology Commission, a descendant of a massacre survivor, who told News On 6 that artifacts found during earlier construction in Greenwood had been stored poorly and some were damaged beyond use. "Every time a developer does a development in Greenwood, they find things," she said. She said the ordinance doesn't block development but sets a process for handling what's found.