Tulsa Pride Organizers Participate In Active Shooter Training

Tulsa Pride kicks off this weekend and organizers are expecting a record amount of people to gather and celebrate.

Organizers said with the recent mass shootings across the country and here in Tulsa, they worked with local law enforcement to get active shooter training as a precaution.

Tulsa Pride organizers said their main goal is to show everyone a great time, but they also acknowledge the threat of a mass shooter is real, so they are putting in the maximum effort to keep people safe.

"To an extent we've kind of become numb to the mass shootings that are happening in this country which is incredibly sad," Alex Wade, the Deputy Director for Oklahomans for Equality said.

Alex Wade with Oklahomans for Equality said training for a potential mass shooting is something no one should have to think about, but in this day and age, they unfortunately do.

Given the recent mass shootings, particularly in Tulsa on the St. Francis Hospital Campus, Wade said the extra training could be useful for the worst-case scenario.

"You need to run," Wade said. "Then if you can't run you need to hide. If you can't hide you need to fight as a last resort."

The decision for the Tulsa Pride staff to undergo active shooter training also comes after a white nationalist group in Idaho threatened to riot at a Pride event there.

Kao Morris is the Tulsa Pride Director. "Honestly it is what is it but also it's very sad that it's come to this and that we live in a society and a world where people are just going around and firing on unarmed people," Morris said.

Morris said he wants to assure everyone there are several security measures in place this weekend.

He said anyone coming out should always stay cautious just like anywhere else, and to also know there are people there to keep them safe while they celebrate their identity.

"Be aware of your surroundings and to make sure you're with a buddy in case anything were to happen," Morris said. "But also just have a good time because that's what's going to happen this weekend."

Wade said there will be people helping evacuate the crow if there is an emergency.

There will also be law enforcement stationed at every entrance of the festival to make sure no one comes in with a weapon.