Cherokee Nation Looks To Create Courtrooms, Law Offices In Tulsa

The Cherokee Nation wants to buy a Tulsa office complex to create courtrooms and office space for tribal prosecutors. It’s part of the effort by the tribe to have justice centers throughout their 14 county nations in Eastern Oklahoma. The site at North Pointe, 205 East Pine, would be the first location in Tulsa County.

Tribal interest in the location came out through a request to the Board of Adjustment to allow the use. A hearing, originally scheduled for May 24, was reset to June 28 at the request of City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper.

The office complex is anchored by a bank and insurance office, with a handful of other tenants. It’s mostly empty, and never reached the commercial success envisioned when it opened in 1995.

The Cherokees said the tribe would invest more than $3 million dollars in the property, and the rehabilitation would also benefit community use. Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., said the project would not include a jail, contrary to social media rumors

Patricia Williams, an owner of a business in North Pointe, said at this point, she’s against the proposal.

“I believe it would be somewhat negative to the community because if you're having someone come to court, it might be a traffic violation, but what if it's something more than that, someone shooting a gun, or something more violent?”

No date has been set for a planned public meeting including Councilor Hall-Harper and representatives from the Cherokee Nation.