TEN YEAR
MEMORIAL GALA
Saturday, September 12, 2026
10 Years. A Legacy in Motion.
Walk with us
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Join us for a non-partisan GOTV canvassing and phone banking event to prepare our neighbors for the upcoming Midterms.
Origin story
Terence Crutcher, Sr. was shot and killed on September 16, 2016 by Tulsa Police Department Officer Betty Shelby in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was unarmed and law enforcement was not called to the scene due to any wrongdoing from Terence. Officer Shelby admitted to being “afraid” of Terence Crutcher. Her perceived threat of Terence Crutcher moments later resulted in his lifeless body lying on the street without aid.
On May 17, 2017, Officer Shelby was found “not guilty” by a jury of her peers who admitted that the Officer was unfit to serve in law enforcement. On May 22, Officer Shelby returned to the Tulsa Police Department on desk duty and was awarded back pay for missed days of work. Her actions and that of the Tulsa police department thereafter unearthed almost a century of racial tension in Tulsa and left three children without their father.
Since this tragedy, Terence’s family has committed to ending the realities of violent policing, unjust policies throughout the criminal legal system, and supporting families who have lost loved ones to senseless gun violence.
Terence’s name lives on.
What's on
Upcoming events
From the field
Latest updates
naacpldf.org · June 18, 2026
LDF and the Terence Crutcher Foundation Applaud Tulsa’s Mayor for Signing an Executive Order to Advance Alternatives-to-Policing
Thursday, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) joins the Terence Crutcher Foundation in supporting Executive Order No. 2026-01, issued Monday by Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, which establishes the Task Force on Community-Based Mental Health, Behavioral Health, and Alternative Response.
The Oklahoma Eagle · May 12, 2026
Tulsa taps non-law enforcement leaders to address root causes of violence in north side
As violent crime trends down across Tulsa, a new initiative hopes to tackle persistent hotspots.
Organizers with My Brother’s Keeper Tulsa, Youth Services of Tulsa and the Terence Crutcher Foundation joined Mayor Monroe Nichols Tuesday for the relaunch of Secure Tulsa, a community-based violence intervention initiative.
The Oklahoma Eagle · January 20, 2026
Why they marched: MLK Day inspires Tulsans to walk, talk and act
The foundation has been ramping up programs in the last few years to increase civic engagement — from educating voters to canvassing neighborhoods. Crutcher, the foundation’s executive director, said MLK Day seemed like the perfect time to pair education with action.