US Supreme Court refuses to revive Tulsa race riot lawsuit

DATELINE (AP) _ The US Supreme Court is refusing to revive a lawsuit over the 1921 Tulsa race riot. <br/><br/>The court Monday refused without comment to hear the case. <br/><br/>The lawsuit against the

Monday, May 16th 2005, 10:33 am

By: News On 6

DATELINE (AP) _ The US Supreme Court is refusing to revive a lawsuit over the 1921 Tulsa race riot.

The court Monday refused without comment to hear the case.

The lawsuit against the state of Oklahoma and City of Tulsa was filed by survivors and descendants of victims of the deadly riot. It was dismissed by a federal judge and a federal appeals court which said the statute of limitations had expired.

Attorneys for the group argued that the two-year statute of limitations should be extended because the government's full role in the riot wasn't known until a special commission issued a report on 2001.

The riot began May 31st, 1921, when blacks and whites fought outside a courthouse where a black man accused of assaulting a white female elevator operator was being held.

Police deputized a group of whites who burned homes and businesses owned by blacks in the Greenwood business district.

The confirmed death toll is 37, but some estimates are as high as 300.