Survivors of Tulsa's race riots talk to Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race riot told a congressional panel about the devastation inflicted upon their community by a white mob.<br/><br/>The elderly survivors offered an oral history

Wednesday, May 11th 2005, 5:38 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race riot told a congressional panel about the devastation inflicted upon their community by a white mob.

The elderly survivors offered an oral history Tuesday that could build the case for reparations.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus heard testimony from attorneys, historians and three gray-haired survivors of the Tulsa race riot.

The 1921 riot reduced the city's prosperous Greenwood section to ashes following accusations that a black man had assaulted a white female elevator operator.

In 2003, more than 400 plaintiffs sued the state, the city and its police department, seeking unspecified damages. A federal judge threw out the case, saying he could not find a reason to extend the statute of limitations.