Got a couple glimpses of Tulsa’s “dark side” yesterday. During the mid day break we were led by (amazing) host Steve ligget and his main squeeze, Shirley to a derelict building (a former ballroom) where remnants of copies of photos from controversial photographer/filmaker: Larry Clark are displayed. Their content is disturbing and young men, women (17 or 18 yrs old) are captured shooting up. One woman clearly pregnant and in the next panel (presumably) her dead infant. Photos shot in the early 60’s were released in a book simply named “Tulsa” and photos have never had a showing here. The copies in the ballroom were copied by an individual and pasted without permission from the artist and only a half dozen remain relatively intact (they have been exposed to the elements in the roofless ballroom.) On the return trip I was told about the 1921 riots in which the “Black wallstreet” and surrounding blocks of businesses and houses were destroyed in bedlam and fire (over a hundred killed) in race riots here (a fact only recently acknowledged apparently.) The evening closed with a stroll past the “majestic” and the teeming masses pouring out of this downtown Tulsa gay bar. Who knew?
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