In the immediate aftermath of the Massacre, approximately 6,000 Black Tulsans were forcefully detained in internment camps guarded by armed men and forced to work for free as virtual slaves for the City of Tulsa.
Tulsa city officials eventually dropped all charges against those who participated in the violence of the Massacre. It was their hope that this act of admonition would help alleviate the “humiliation of the citizenry.” A grand jury later placed the blame for the Massacre squarely on the shoulders of Black Tulsans, clearing the city of any and all responsibility. Greenwood survivors were blamed for the violence and destruction that annihilated their community.
Rather than attempt to help Greenwood residents rebuild, City and County officials and the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce sought to capitalize on the Greenwood community’s losses they caused by making every effort to prevent the reconstruction of Black Wall Street.
None of the survivors of the Massacre were able to collect on their insurance claims, which meant that residents had to rebuild Greenwood on their own dime.
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