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That tragedy was a classic case of miscommunications and rumors spiraling out of control when superimposed on an atmosphere already charged with bigotry. But apparently it all started with a very simple, everyday accident that got misinterpreted in the worst way possible: a young black man was arrested on assault charges--yet the young white woman who had been thought to be the victim declined to press any charges on the reasonable grounds that nothing happened.

As was all too often the case in that time in that general part of the US, a black man accused of assaulting a white woman was the intended target of a lynch mob. However, the sheriff stood his ground, did his job, and ensured the young black man in custody was kept safe. He tried to disperse the mob without much success--and at some point a group of blacks, many of whom were World War I veterans, showed up to offer their services in support of the sheriff and his deputies. They were rightly turned away on the grounds that they could easily inflame the would-be lynch mob even worse--and as the two groups separated, a shot was fired...and the fuse was lit.

So...what could one do to avert the worst race riot in US history? Google it if you're not familiar--and realize that the topic until recently was all but completely taboo in Tulsa in particular and Oklahoma in general.
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