Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Dick Rowland fled to his mother Damie’s house after the incident in the elevator on May 30. Though he was wanted, the police did not take steps to seek him out, only arresting him when he left the house the next day. After his arrest, word spread about his alleged crime, and there were death threats against Rowland almost immediately. He was moved from the Tulsa Jail to the Tulsa County Courthouse. This did not prevent a lynch mob from forming, however.

Furthermore, by advocating for Rowland’s lynching, newspapers incited the mob to form. The mob demanded Sheriff Willard McCullough release Rowland, but McCullough refused to do so. In the Greenwood District, concern for Rowland grew. Some wanted to confront the white mob to protect Rowland, while others, such as business man O. W. Gurley, were apprehensive.

Regardless, 25 Black men took their guns and went to the courthouse to offer support to McCullough in protecting Rowland. Though the police sent the men home, the mob was further riled by the appearance of armed Black men, and many white men went to arm themselves, either at home or by robbing the National Guard armory, though the National Guard managed to fight them off.