A Black Lives Matter protest is scheduled for this upcoming Monday, June 8, beginning at noon in Ponca City.
Protestors will gather near the area of 5th and Overbrook, and will march to City Hall, where they will hold a rally. For a time period as needed, 5th street will be blocked to maintain safety from traffic issues, and Grand Avenue will be blocked between 5th and 6th Street during the protest. If these are routes you would usually take during this time, you will need to find an alternate route that day, or be prepared for some delay.
The following information is from Ponca City Police Chief Don Bohon.
“As many of our citizens have heard, there is a protest planned for Monday in Ponca City. I have had open communication with an organizer of this protest, and the organizers are planning for, and intend to have a peaceful protest. The Ponca City Police Department and the City of Ponca City fully support the right of our citizens to assemble and protest. We believe that our citizens who wish to protest will maintain peace in the effort to express their concerns, and they will not tolerate those who seek to disrupt the effort they are making by acting out or encouraging violence and criminal behavior. The men and women of the Ponca City Police Department stand ready to serve this community and protect the protestors, and the community as a whole.”
According to the information on the protest’s Facebook page, the organizers look to keep it 100% peaceful and do not indulge violence.
Guest speakers at the protest include:
- Casey Camp Horinek – Ponca Tribe
- Vivian Billy – Founder of MMIP (Missing and Murdered Indigenous People) of the northern Oklahoma chapter.
- Aletha Kearney – Local motivational speaker.
- Diane Anderson – Former city council member.
- Gail Thompson – Associate Pastor of Powerhouse of Faith Christian Center.
