‘Going to Fight it’: Del City Leaders Share Next Steps Following New Jail Site Selection

“We’re going to fight it, but it just looks like we’re going to have a long road ahead. I mean, it’s a nickel fighting a dollar. But, you know what? David beat Goliath. We got a shot.”

The news comes as just two weeks ago, Eason and his fellow council members approved taking at least $150,000 from their budget to pursue legal action against Oklahoma County Commissioners.

“It’s a shame that a tax-funded organization like city hall has to sue another tax-funded organization. But we can’t sit by and let our residents be intimidated and treated like second-class citizens.”

No lawsuit has been filed yet, but city leaders will discuss the situation with outside attorneys.

“Putting this jail this close to that neighborhood puts all the children, the senior citizens, just the residents, in general, at risk. We can’t sit by and let our residents be put at risk without fighting it.”

If nothing changes, the new jail would be only a three-minute drive from Epperly Heights Elementary. That’s a big reason why Mid-Del Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rick Cobb says he has fought against this proposal from the beginning.

“I think you have to realize that’s not going to stop,” Supt. Dr. Cobb said. “Just because they voted to buy a property today, doesn’t mean that the fight is over on our end. I don’t know exactly what that fight looks like now because none of us have been in this position before, but it’s going to be an ongoing fight.”

Cobb says his district will never accept bad ideas planned near their schools, adding that five of the nine jail sites considered by commissioners today are in Mid-Del or close to it.

“Even if something happens to fall through with 1901 East Grand down the road, like it fell through with the airport a few months ago, that doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods. So, we have to stay engaged. The whole Mid-Del community has to stay engaged.”

Mayor Eason says it feels like Del City has been pushed into a corner, and now it’s time to fight back.