Tulsa’s downtown juvenile curfew is here to stay after city councilors unanimously voted Wednesday night to extend the ordinance for another year.
It prevents unaccompanied minors from being downtown between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Minors who are at an event, having dinner or participating in activities that extend past the curfew time can stay, but must leave once the event is over, according to city rules.
“I believe the police department shared a stat that we had no gun violence incidences over the summer, especially with nightlife,” Councilor Laura Bellis, whose district includes the southern half of downtown, said.
From Oct. 22, 2025 to Sept. 1, 2026, 20 minors were given citations for violating the curfew.
Tulsa already has a citywide one from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Friday, and from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The downtown-specific ordinance came following a series of gun-related incidents within the Inner Dispersal Loop in 2025.
The defining moment was the death of 22-year old Isaiah Knight, who was shot underneath the I-244 bridge during the Juneteenth Festival.
After his death, Mayor Monroe Nichols said he would amplify efforts to confiscate as many illegal guns in the city as possible. Four months after the curfew was put in place, city councilors extended it for a year.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Councilor Lori Decter Wright acknowledged the fear of how it could amplify police interactions with Black and brown youth.
“Some of the statistics have borne out some of our fears. Black and brown youth are more proximate to being justice-involved through this ordinance, but we’ve also learned that it’s very incident-specific,” she said.
Of the 20 downtown violators, 15 were Black. Eight of the 20 came during a two-hour span Feb. 7. That night, Tulsa Police Department responded to several calls of downtown disturbances following an event.
Despite extending the curfew for another year, not every councilor was in favor of making it permanent. Councilor Carol Bush told The Eagle prior to the vote that she would be in favor of making it a permanent solution.
However, Phil Lakin told The Eagle prior to the vote he wished it wasn’t needed, while Anthony Archie said he doesn’t know if he would be open to a permanent curfew.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
