The Weekly Wrap: DOJ Opens Investigation Into Tulsa Race Massacre

Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice.

Have news, resources or events that should be included in a future edition of this newsletter? Let us know. We’re reachable at wrapped@nextcity.org.

Department of Justice Opens Investigation Into Tulsa Race Massacre

The Department of Justice has opened a federal review of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, The Black Wall Street Times reports. The investigation is possible because of a 2008 law that gives the department the ability to investigate civil rights violations on or prior to December 31, 1979. The DOJ will produce a report on the massacre, which began on May 31, 1921. Over the course of two days, a white mob destroyed what was known as Black Wall Street, killing over 300 Black Tulsans in the Greenwood neighborhood and displaced thousands more. In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court denied the two remaining survivors of the massacre, who are 110 and 109 years old, from seeking compensatory damages.

US Government Underfunded FEMA Ahead of Deadly Hurricane

Hurricane Helene has caused devastation across the Southeast and killed over a hundred people, including at least 56 people in North Carolina alone. Despite the storm heading toward the Florida panhandle as Congress was in session, lawmakers did not add any additional emergency funds to a stopgap bill before lawmakers went on recess for six weeks, according to E&E News. The supplemental funding was dropped from the bill to secure the votes of conservative fiscal hawks, E&E reports. While FEMA can still operate, its disaster relief fund currently has a $2 billion deficit which could grow to $3 billion by February.

Gavin Newsom Vetoes Property Reclamation Bill

It’s the end of California’s legislative session, and Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a raft of progressive legislation. Among them is a bill that would have allowed Black residents of the state to file a claim if their property was taken by the government through eminent domain in a discriminatory manner and without adequate compensation. As is custom for democratic governors vetoing popular progressive legislation, Newsom’s rationale was vague and unconvincing: “This bill tasks a nonexistent state agency to carry out its various provisions and requirements, making it impossible to implement,” he wrote in his veto letter. It is unclear why the existing court system or the state’s housing department was insufficient to carry out the bill. It was part of a larger set of repartions bills backed by the California Legislative Black Caucus.

Hiring Sheep To Mow Lawns

The Associated Press reports on the trend of “urban grazing,” the use of rented sheep or other animals to graze greenspace to reduce wildfire risk or deal with invasive species. Nashville uses sheep to graze 150 acres of land a year, including a Civil War historic site. “It is a more environmentally sustainable way to care for the greenspace and oftentimes is cheaper than doing it with handheld equipment and staff,” the assistant director of the city’s parks department told the AP.

Report: Israel Deliberately Targeted Aid Agencies

Al Jazeera and the group Forensic Architecture released an investigative documentary with new evidence that Israel has systematically targeted aid workers and restricted humanitarian assistance. The documentary looks at over 40 attacks on people seeking aid and on schools and bakeries where aid is distributed and found they were consistently targeted. At least 34 people, many of them children, have died of malnutrition as a result of Israel’s restriction of aid in the past year, according to the United Nations. Documents leaked to ProPublica demonstrate that Secretary Anthony Blinken was aware that Israel was blocking aid to Palestinians when he made a false claim that there was no evidence of this.

The report comes as Israel widened its war further to Lebanon in a series of attacks on civilian areas that has now killed over 1,000 people, including 87 children, in only two weeks, the Associated Press reports. The army also attacked families in Khan Yunis and bombed a school and orphanage in Gaza, killing at least 25 people.

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Curated by Deonna Anderson

MORE NEWS

• Haitians in Springfield, Ohio have been blamed for rising costs but reports suggest landlords overchargd them for substandard housing. The Guardian

• With funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, Native Renewables is bringing off-grid solar to Navajo and Hopi homes. Atmos

• Mexico City’s massive food market will power public buses wth rooftop solar. Bloomberg CityLab

• Gentrification is happening in America’s cities and suburbs. Next City

RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES

• Echoing Green is accepting applications for its 2025 fellowship, which “supports bold leaders from all over the world who see possibility in the face of the most existential challenges of our day.” The deadline to submit is Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Access the application here.

• The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is accepting applications for its Vibrant Communities Fellows Program, which is designed for leaders who are already engaged in — or who aspire to create — critical change in their communities. The deadline is Oct. 24 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Learn more and apply here.

• Generation Housing Justice, a new initiative by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, is accepting applications. The program aims to bring more young adults ages 18-24 into the housing justice movement by equipping 20 fellows with the knowledge and resources they need to successfully advocate for federal affordable housing solutions. The deadline is Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. Eastern. Learn more and apply here.

• Next City is hiring an Equitable Cities Fellow for Anti-Displacement Strategies. Learn more about the role here — then apply and/or share with your networks! We’ll review applications on a rolling basis, with interviews starting in November.

EVENTS

• Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. Eastern: The Othering & Belonging Institute’s Reimagining Urban Planning series continues with a conversation centered around defining belonging in urban planning. Register here.

• October 17 at 2 p.m. Eastern: Forecast Public Art is hosting a panel about the latest issue of its digital publication, FORWARD: Monuments & Memorials, and exploring what is next for monuments across the world. Click here to register.

• Oct. 22 at 4  p.m. Eastern: The Mellon Foundation is hosting a conversation about creativity and cultures in the Borderlands. Register here.

• Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. Eastern: In honor of the 20th anniversary of Dr. Mindy Fullilove’s book Root Shock, Next City is hosting a webinar where speakers will reckon with the past and reimagine how to support communities facing displacement today. Register here.