Tulsa Branch Granted Temporary Restraining Order Against NAACP Leadership

Members of the Tulsa chapter of the NAACP were granted a temporary restraining order against the organization's national office, banning it from interfering in the local branch's elections.

The national civil rights organization contested the election of the chapter's president, saying the branch excluded a qualified candidate from the ballot.

Tulsa leaders insist they did nothing wrong.

Six members of the NAACP who hold elected offices within the chapter filed for a temporary restraining order against the NAACP national office, saying it is trying to "foist a person into leadership in the Tulsa Branch who was not even listed in the Tulsa membership rolls."

According to court documents, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff of the NAACP, Roger Vann, directed the Tulsa branch that "all elected officers and executive members be removed and the Tulsa Branch NAACP reorganized.

The six plaintiffs named on the petition for the temporary restraining order, which was granted by a Tulsa County judge Monday, say no claim was ever made that they were not duly elected, yet the organization wants them to step down.

A temporary injunction hearing is set for July 11.