Immigration Customs and Enforcement raids in Chicago and Minneapolis have been televised, controversial and highly visible. In Tulsa, it’s been different. ICE has taken a lower-profile approach here, with reports of agents waiting outside businesses to apprehend people and often staying outside of the public eye.
But local merchants have noticed — and some are starting to take action. Tulsa-area business owners and managers who have seen little if any direct impact from immigration enforcement have made efforts to provide support to immigrant communities.
Businesses across the country participated in an economic blackout in late January, with several Tulsa businesses deciding to observe the strike. Others stated their support for immigrants but said they could not forgo a day of business.
From providing tangible items to putting up signs advertising “no ICE agents allowed,” business owners and managers told the Flyer they want to continue providing safe spaces in Oklahoma for their customers.
Providing whistles, information to customers
There is a rack immediately to the right of the door when you first enter Meadow Market Books on 15th Street in midtown. There are tiny zines and pamphlets outlining ways to protest ICE, as well as whistles to signal if ICE is near.
The owners brought out the rack for the January economic blackout.
“In the weeks since, we’ve just been restocking the zines as needed and sharing information and people have been taking whistles or even just taking note of the signs,” said Melodie Coulter, co-owner of Meadow Market Books.
Coulter is aware of the privilege she has as someone from a middle class background. The store’s customer base is predominantly white. The shop, which opened in January, is on a well-off portion of Cherry Street and backs up to a neighborhood that is primarily white and older.
“Knowing that I have this immense amount of privilege, you know, my family very much raised me to speak up and to protect other people that can’t protect themselves,” Coulter said. “And so when I see my community at risk and I can be a voice when they can’t … That’s important to me.”
Using space to speak up against ICE
Tyler Duncan and Lydia Duncan, co-owners of downtown Tulsa’s Coracle Coffee, want to make sure the community feels safe visiting the shop.
“It’s very important for us to take care of each other, especially, in a time where it’s so difficult for marginalized people like communities to exist in any kind of space that is safe because anytime you think you have a safe space it is ripped away from you,” Lydia Duncan said.
There is a community corkboard towards the back of the coffee shop, where people place business cards and fliers for upcoming events. You can also find “know your rights” cards informing readers of their rights to remain silent and decline to allow immigration agents to enter their home.
There are some individuals who want to start meeting in their space and out of the public eye to have conversations around immigration, Tyler Duncan said.
Being clear about not allowing ICE agents onto properties
The Duncans have also made it clear to staff that they have the right to not serve ICE agents.
“If people come in and they’re wearing, you know, those uniforms or lack of uniforms or whatever, everyone knows that they have full power to kick people out,” Tyler Duncan said. “We want to empower our staff to be able to do that.
Similarly, in midtown Tulsa, manager Kiefer Bassett placed a sign on the front door of record store Boulevard Trash, stating that the property is private and “Absolutely no I.C.E allowed.” The business placed it in the days after the economic blackout.
Bassett identifies as white and the other staff member isn’t directly impacted by immigration policies, he said.
“But, I also want to stand on that moral of, ‘I’m not going to allow somebody that is currently terrorizing America and people living in this country,’” he said. “I’m not going to support that.”
He won’t let customers from the store’s diverse customer base be detained if he can prevent it, he said.
The sign makes it clear to customers where the shop stands on issues and it helps facilitate a safer space, he said.
“Anybody running a business or running a space, at the end of the day, I would say stand on your morals,” Bassett said. “That’s exactly what our thought has been here … especially if you own the business, just put your money where your mouth is.”
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.
