OCCC removes Land Run monument

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Community College has recently removed the controversial Land Run monument from its campus, college officials said.

The concrete monument quickly became the subject of numerous complaints expressed through social media, as well as letters to the editor of the student-run Pioneer campus newspaper. It also generated threats of violence and protests, according to The Oklahoman.

OCCC officials said in a news release their faculty and staff knew very little about the monument and have openly questioned its purpose on the campus.

The concrete monument featured settlers on horseback, in wagons and on bicycles racing to stake their land claims in the April 22, 1889, land run.

OCCC Executive Vice President Danita Rose, whose maternal grandfather was of Cherokee descent, said Tuesday that the recent decision to remove the monument was a top priority for the school’s executive leadership team.

“It was a no-brainer,” Rose said in a statement. “If our goal is to create a community that is inclusive and welcoming to everyone, a monument that depicts cruelty and oppression can’t be on display here.”

The monument was removed by OCCC Facilities Management staffers and placed in storage.