The Department of Justice found in a newly released report that though the Tulsa Race Massacre was a “systematic” and “coordinated” attack that transcended mere mob violence, any legal repercussions are no longer possible in light of the statute of limitations.

The Justice Department began to review the Tulsa Race Massacre last September, at the time recognizing Viola Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle, the last two survivors from the days-long attack. The review was undertaken pursuant to the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act.

The 123-page report details how, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, as many as 10,000 white Tulsans mounted a “concerted” effort to the neighborhood of Greenwood, a predominantly Black community known as Black Wall Street.

“The Tulsa Race Massacre stands out as a civil rights crime unique in its magnitude, barbarity, racist hostility and its utter annihilation of a thriving Black community,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Until this day, the Justice Department has not spoken publicly about this race massacre or officially accounted for the horrific events that transpired in Tulsa,” she added. “This report breaks that silence by rigorous examination and a full accounting of one of the darkest episodes of our nation’s past.”

© The Hill