The Journey to Justice & Reconciliation Continues

2019 was very eventful and we are so thankful for your support this past year. This year marked the 3rd Anniversary of the Terence Crutcher Foundation. As we look back over the past three years, we took hundreds of supporters, family, and friends on our "Journey to Justice & Reconciliation" during our Annual Memorial Gala in Tulsa, Ok, commemorating the unjust killing of our beloved Terence Crutcher by a former Tulsa, Oklahoma police officer.

JUSTICE & REFORM
The Foundation had a busy year centered around our Justice & Reform Initiative (Demanding a JUST Tulsa). We've continued to challenge racially biased policing in Tulsa, OK by being a voice for the voiceless and by refusing to no longer live in a City where Black citizens are five times more likely to be victims of police force and three times more likely to be arrested because of the color of their skin according to the Tulsa Equality Indicators Report. These alarming numbers motivated us to push the City Council to hold four Special Meetings related to the Equality Indicators Report shortly after hosting our very own community led hearings in partnership with the NAACP LDF,  ACLU of Oklahoma, The United League for Social Action, North Tulsa United Coalition of Clergy, and Solomon-Simmons Law Firm. We also fought tirelessly to prevent the Mayor and City Council from voting on a watered down version of an "Office of Independent Monitor (OIM)".  It is our hope to collaborate with the Mayor and City Council in the new year as thought partners, ensuring together that police oversight and community policing in our city is a priority.

In September, the Human Rights Watch dropped a powerful report called "Get on the Ground". Terence's killing prompted close to 3 years of research on Tulsa's racially biased policing practices. As a result, our founder, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher traveled to Capital Hill twice this year pushing for federal legislation around police accountability and has presented at several national civil rights conferences regarding our work in Tulsa related to policing reform and activism.

At the beginning of 2019, our Foundation hosted its Inaugural MLK Day Celebration in partnership with the Historic Vernon AME Church under the leadership of Dr. Robert Turner. Much of our fight for justice has been guided by the principles of the late Martin Luther King jr.  We plan to host the 2nd annual MLK Celebration on January 20, 2020, so please save the date!

HELPING MOTHERS HEAL
This past May we launched our "A Mother's Love Initiative" by sending Etta Barre and Roma Presley to a retreat in Sunny Florida. Both Barre & Presley lost their sons to police violence. Prior to leaving for Florida, Leanna Crutcher, our co-founder treated the moms to a Mother's day Brunch letting them know they are not alone. Airfare, hotel, and registration for the retreat was paid in full by the Foundation.

EDUCATION IS KEY
We awarded our second scholarship under the Crutcher  family scholarship fund and we are very excited to grow this initiative realizing that the lack of resources for disadvantaged youth is growing each year.  The foundation also, had the pleasure to sponsor Greenwood Leadership Academy's Inaugural 5K Run with a small donation supporting their work around STEM and afterschool programs. Lastly, the Terence Crutcher Foundation launched its "My Life Matters" Campaign, educating our youth about knowing their rights and how to respectfully interact with law enforcement in any situation.

Our impact on activism and social justice in Tulsa was recognized this year—our founder, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher was honored with the Dan Allen Center for Social Justice, "Local Champion Award."

VISION 2020
2020 will be a very important year as we select the next individual who will potentially lead our police department in Tulsa for the next decade. Tulsa's next Chief of Police will either create a new culture that builds trust with the Black community or further erode that trust. The Terence Crutcher Foundation is at the forefront of demanding that the community has input in this vital selection.

Furthermore, the foundation is excited to be apart of the "Oklahomans for Sentencing Reform Coalition." We are pushing for common-sense criminal justice reform to reduce our state's prison population. We Support State Question 805, which will end the use of sentence enhancements that lead to extreme sentences. We know a majority of Oklahomans strongly support policies which will reunite families, safely reduce Oklahoma's high incarceration rate and save the taxpayer money.

Moving forward, we plan to open the Terence Crutcher Foundation headquarters which will include a resource center and meeting space that will help advance our vision and mission.
The work of the Terence  Crutcher Foundation has truly been transformational and could not be accomplished without the commitment and dedication of our volunteers and coalition of activist. We can truly say in the words of Terence Crutcher that God is getting all the Glory and this past year has been living proof.  Again, we would like to thank everyone in advanced for your continued support and partnership as Terence Crutcher's name continues to invoke change!

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