Amid the Trump administration’s continued deportation campaign, the Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic/Latinx Affairs Commission voted Thursday to approve its “playbook” explaining constitutional rights of restaurant owners and their employees “at risk of unconstitutional search.”
The 8-page playbook includes a checklist for managers to know the conversations they need to have with their employees. The commission has been working on the document since last spring and continues to monitor the growing concern for “unconstitutional activity surrounding our immigrant communities,” according to the playbook.
“I think so much of this process has been worried about an incident happening and us sitting on this resource, so I’m really glad that we’re starting to be able to get it out to the community,” said commission chair Jackiez Gonzalez, who spearheaded the playbook’s creation.
The commission has solicited donations to cover printing and distribution costs.
The playbook comes as restaurants across the country have been targets of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. The commission is one of six representing different communities and is made up of 15 mayoral- and county- appointed volunteers.
What’s inside:
- Training information for Fourth Amendment Workplace program
- Discussion guide for managers and business owners
- Checklist for ensuring business and team members are prepared in the event of an unexpected visit by law enforcement
- Starter list of additional resources
The playbook will help restaurants across Tulsa prepare amid increased ICE enforcement, Gonzalez said.
“So even if you’re not a restaurant or a customer-facing business, there’s definitely some takeaways there to help you feel more safe and empowered and support your teammates in feeling safe,” she said.
The commission created the playbook with feedback from local chefs and restaurants about what would be most useful for them. It was inspired by an organization called Siembra NC, a grassroots organization focused on protecting immigrant rights in North Carolina.
Most of the feedback indicated a preference for physical copies and it being in multiple languages. Right now, the playbook is available in English and Spanish.
Commission members found mixed reactions from the community when they were conducting research. People find it valuable but there’s also a sense of hopelessness, Gonzalez said.
“People aren’t convinced that a document is gonna actually save somebody,” she said. “They feel like they’re at a point in time, where if someone were to be violating the constitution and trying to, you know, come and interrogate employees without a warrant, that it wouldn’t matter if they knew their rights.”
The playbook is available here.
This article was produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma.
News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
