Over the past few days, I've seen stories about this everywhere. How thousands of wealthy blacks were murdered by jealous whites. Most of the stories leave out one key part.
The massacre began over Memorial Day weekend after 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a black shoeshiner, was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, the 17-year-old white elevator operator of the nearby Drexel Building. He was taken into custody.
Key
A subsequent gathering of angry local whites outside the courthouse where Rowland was being held, and the spread of rumors he had been lynched, alarmed the local black population, some of whom arrived at the courthouse armed. Shots were fired and 12 people were killed: 10 white and 2 black.[18] As news of these deaths spread throughout the city, mob violence exploded.[2]
Lookup the Wichita massacre
Jesus. That reminds of the couple in Knoxville.
Well obviously most of the whites weren't armed or more blacks would have died. They were ambushed.
Also, The term Tulsa Massacre is new. To my knowledge they just started calling it that this year. It has always been called the Tulsa Race Riot.
The city tries to find mass graves every few years. But according to My grandpa, who was a teenager when the Race Riot happened, they disposed of several bodies in the Arkansas river. He told my dad about groups of people being lured into Brady theater for "safety" and then murdered and dumped in the river. I have heard these same stories from the older generations as well, but year after year the city spends money and time looking for the supposed mass graves.
It was a horrible, but even in my short life, I've seen the details of this event skewed and changed to fit the needs of the city. History, good or bad, should never be tampered with.
You're right, no one can ever be 100% correct unless they were there and even then it can be muddled or biased. The 1500 whites at the court house vs 75 blacks, makes absolutely no sense what so ever though. Especially when 10 whites died and only two blacks.