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Downtown Safety Update & Advocacy Request

June 23, 2025

Category:  Downtown Partnership

Downtown Stakeholders:

Saturday’s tragic shooting during the Tulsa Juneteenth Festival is one of several incidents that question the safety and future of our Downtown community. Our thoughts are with the victims and all those impacted by this and other recent unnecessary gun-involved violence across the city.

I wanted to update you on what’s being done about this in the near, mid, and long term and also share where Downtown Tulsa Partnership fits into the coalition of partners responding to these issues.

Earlier Curfew Proposed

Earlier today, I joined Mayor Nichols, City Councilors, Tulsa Police Department, and others at a press conference where Councilor Karen Gilbert announced a proposed amendment to the City’s curfew policy. Tulsa City Council will take action this Wednesday, June 25, to move the curfew for minors from midnight to 9 p.m., seven days a week, in Downtown Tulsa. We have been working on the appropriate curfew scale and language over the past several weeks to curtail the recent uptick in violent and criminal behavior initiated by minors in and around our bar and entertainment districts.

In short, any minor within Downtown past curfew must be inside an establishment or be with a parent, guardian or responsible adult. Click here to view a FAQ the City has prepared to answer questions and concerns related to implementation and impact on businesses and venues.

Contact City Council to Urge Support

Please contact Tulsa City Council and encourage their support and immediate passage of this curfew proposal on Wednesday. Please make this outreach before 10 a.m. this Wednesday. A list of Councilors and their emails are below:

I want to extend my personal gratitude to Mayor Nichols and Councilors Gilbert, Hall-Harper, and Bellis, and TPD Chief Larsen for leading and collaborating on this proposal. This revised curfew is a critical tool that will be reevaluated in early 2026 with further community engagement.

Mid-Term Response

Following what I hope is a successful passage of the new curfew on Wednesday, several things will happen in the mid-term.

  • Downtown Tulsa Partnership will continue advocating for additional police and public safety resources that permanently increase the total number of officers patrolling in Downtown.
  • DTP will continue coordinating our services with TPD’s deployment across the varying needs that exist in Downtown.
  • DTP has added two Safety Ambassador roles in recent months and will continue adding resources to increase the number of eyes and ears on the street to assist when needed.
  • All Safety Ambassadors have been recently deployed with body cams to meet the ongoing needs and challenges of our community.
  • We have and will continue to convene with community partners to explore non-enforcement approaches to address the rise in youth-related incidents, including the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth, and Families, My Brothers’ Keeper, and Youth Services of Tulsa.

As a reminder, DTP Ambassador Services provide support for non-emergency events ranging from welfare checks, business check-ins, and safety escorts. If you ever need assistance from our team, call or text the Ambassador Line at 918-202-4093 during hours of operation. Click here for more information about Ambassador Services.

Please call 911 for all emergency situations and/or to file reports of crime activity past, present and future – when in doubt, call 911.

Longer Term

We will provide more updates when details become clear. Collaborating with partners on solutions is paramount while we refine and expand the direct services we provide to meet the evolving needs of our Downtown neighborhood. This includes the retooling and expansion of our own safety services.

We will continue to provide timely updates as more details become clear. I want to thank each of you for your continued support Downtown Tulsa and our mission.

With gratitude,

Brian Kurtz
CEO & President
Downtown Tulsa Partnership