National Crime Victims' Rights Week 2021 Update
For 25 years in Oklahoma, April has held space for victims killed in one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, and this year we observed the 40th annual National Crime Victims’ Rights Week statewide alongside victims and survivors of varying types of crime, with the support of advocates, law enforcement and elected officials, from April 18 - 24. To kick off the week, we met at the new Scissortail Park in OKC and walked across the Skydance Bridge as it was lit purple, as was the Crystal Bridge half a mile away from downtown, in a private, silent vigil with advisory board members and select volunteers.
On April 19, we represented Marsy’s Law in attendance of the 26th-anniversary ceremony for the Oklahoma City bombing, where U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was a lead prosecutor in the case against Timothy McVeigh, delivered remarks.
During the week our team also met with Governor Kevin Stitt to talk about the impact the McGirt Supreme Court decision is having on crime victims, and we attended various vigils, conference calls and even presented to Oklahoma State University’s victim legal studies class with an advisory board member. We worked with an advisory board member on a proclamation in Weatherford and with two state representatives on a citation acknowledging the week as NCVRW by the State Legislature.
We also donated rocks for the garden in the dedication of the Pathway to Hope memorial in Tulsa’s Chandler Park, which was a joint unveiling by the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office and Tulsa County Parks Department, and we participated in Community Day of Hope, a public safety resource fair hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and others, where we had another visit with Governor Stitt, as well as Tulsa County Sheriff and advisory board member Vic Regalado.