Tulsa city council candidate arrested for inciting a riot

One of the candidates for Tulsa's City Council remains in the Oklahoma County jail - after he was arrested for inciting a riot, desecrating a flag and obstructing an officer. The man is Paul Tay.

Wednesday, February 18th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

One of the candidates for Tulsa's City Council remains in the Oklahoma County jail - after he was arrested for inciting a riot, desecrating a flag and obstructing an officer. The man is Paul Tay.

News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says Oklahoma City Police didn't know a man in camouflage was running for Tulsa's city council. Paul Tay showed up at the state Capitol during a marriage rights rally Tuesday afternoon.

Officers noticed Tay had what looked like a weapon - and scuffle started to get control of the gun right in front of news photographers. The gun turned out to be a toy - but Tay was arrested and handcuffed.

Tay screamed in protest during the arrest - shouting slurs against gays and blacks and the police. The officers held on to him, removed his camouflage helmet and ski goggles - and took him to jail. He was booked in on a list of charges from disturbing the peace to inciting a riot. He's being held on $55,000 bond.

Tay's Tulsa attorney, Kurt Hoffman says Tay is misunderstood but not mentally ill. â€œI agree with alot of My Tay's intentions - some of his ways of setting those out seem shocking, especially to the general public.â€

Tay was at the state Capitol Tuesday on the bicycle he's driven around Tulsa - this time with a flag marked with a swastika.

Just two years ago - Tay was in the race for Tulsa's mayor. He was a regular at debates - and talked with a sense that attracted a few voters to his low budget campaign. In the time since, he's run a bicycle based advertising business that even he admitted made hardly any money - and now he's running as an independent for city council against incumbent Susan Neal.

Tay's arrest at the state Capitol is part of what his attorney says is a one man campaign for the First Amendment. Tay had his say - but he went to jail in the end.