,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dbbh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #bg1 #bjbe,mr4 ,green of ,texas 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bell1 ,mrs4 ,mc,iver1 ,ms4 ,sewell1 ,ms4 ,simon1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,ms4 ,tlaib1 ,mr4 ,david ,scott of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,louisiana1 ,ms4 ,pressley1 ,ms4 ,velzquez1 ,mrs4 ,sykes1 ,mr4 ,fields1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 and ,mr4 ,frost7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to provide justice for living survivors of the #aiba ,tulsa_/,greenwood ,race ,massacre4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,original ,justice for living survivors of the #aiba ,tulsa_/,greenwood ,race ,massacre ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,in the ,greenwood district of ,tulsa1 ,oklahoma1 on ,may #ca and ,june #a1 #aiba1 following specious allegations that a ,black teenager sexually assaulted a ,white woman1 a vicious violent mob of armed ,white ,tulsans encircled ,greenwood and terrorized the district's ,black residents for nearly #dh hours4 ,during this time1 the ,federal ,government did nothing to aid or defend the residents of ,greenwood4 7#b7 ,the violent mob murdered and assaulted ,black citizens4 7#c7 ,the vicious mob looted and destroyed the approximately #ce-square block ,greenwood community1 including a ,federal post office4 7#d7 ,the ,tulsa ,race ,massacre left hundreds dead1 over #a1ejj homes and businesses destroyed1 leaving approximately #aj1jjj ,black ,tulsans homeless4 7#e7 ,the ,greenwood business district1 colloquially known as ,black ,wall ,street1 and once considered the wealthiest ,black community in the nation1 was violently decimated4 7#f7 ,for over #ajj years1 the city1 county1 ,state1 and ,federal ,governments have failed to ensure any meaningful measure of justice for the victims of the ,tulsa ,race ,massacre4 7#g7 ,in #bjja1 the ,oklahoma ,state ,commission to ,study the ,tulsa ,race ,riot recommended that monetary compensation be paid to survivors of the ,tulsa ,race ,massacre4 ,the ,state of ,oklahoma and ,city of ,tulsa ignored the recommendation1 and no monetary compensation has been given to any survivors4 7#h7 ,only two of the thousands of victims of the ,tulsa ,race ,massacre1 #aaa year-old ,viola ,ford ,fletcher and #aaj year-old ,lessie ,benningfield ,randle1 remain with us4 ,they have continued1 for over #ajj years1 to appeal to our better angels for justice4 7#i7 ,on ,september #a1 #bjbj1 #aaj-year-old victim ,viola ,ford ,fletcher and #aaa-year-old victim ,lessie ,benningfield ,randle filed suit in ,oklahoma ,state court4 ,the suit was sadly dismissed1 and the regrettable dismissal was affirmed by the ,oklahoma ,supreme ,court on procedural grounds on ,june #ab1 #bjbd4 7#aj7 ,on ,june #ab1 #bjbd1 the ,oklahoma ,supreme ,court1 in its decision dismissing the two survivors' lawsuit1 ,randle et4 al4 v4 ,city of ,tulsa1 et4 al4 the court acknowledged the legitimacy of the plaintiffs' grievances but concluded that their claims did not fall within the scope of ,oklahoma's public nuisance statute4 ,specifically1 the court stated ,plaintiffs' grievance with the social and economic inequities created by the ,tulsa ,race ,massacre is legitimate and worthy of merit4 ,however1 the ,oklahoma ,state law does not permit us to extend the scope of our public nuisance doctrine beyond what the ,legislature has authorized to afford ,plaintiffs the justice they are seeking44 7#aa7 ,on ,september #cj1 #bjbd1 the ,department of ,justice announced that it would review and evaluate the ,tulsa ,race ,massacre under the ,emmett ,till ,unsolved ,civil ,rights ,crime ,act4 7#ab7 ,on ,january #ag1 #bjbe1 the ,united ,states ,department of ,justice's report1 issued pursuant to the ,emmett ,till ,unsolved ,civil ,rights ,crimes ,reauthorization ,act1 stated that the ,tulsa ,race ,massacre of #aiba was not merely an episode of mob violence1 but a systematic and coordinated act of racial terrorism4 ,the report concluded that the massacre was distinguished by its magnitude1 barbarity1 and white supremacist hostility1 resulting in the near-total annihilation of ,greenwood--a thriving ,black community known as ,black ,wall ,street4 ,the ,department characterized the massacre as1 a civil rights crime unique in its scale and devastation1 underscoring the profound and unredressed harm inflicted upon ,black ,americans in ,tulsa and the failure of local1 ,state1 and ,federal authorities to hold perpetrators accountable4 7#ac7 ,historical precedents show that the ,federal ,government as a determinant of last resort has taken action to provide recompense relief for victims of blatantly unconscionable mass injustices4 7#ad7 ,in #aihh1 ,congress1 as a determinant of last resort1 awarded ,japanese citizens who were victims of unjust internment1 #bj1jjj each4 7#ae7 ,in #aiij1 ,congress1 as a determinant of last resort1 awarded eligible workers injured during work related to uranium mining1 #ajj1jjj each4 7#af7 ,in #bjja1 ,congress1 as a determinant of last resort1 established the #i_/aa ,victim ,compensation ,fund which has1 to date1 awarded approximately #ai1fdi1jjj1jjj to victims of the ,september #aath terrorist attack4 7#ag7 ,in #bjae1 ,congress1 pursuant to the ,consolidated and ,further ,continuing ,appropriations ,act1 #bjae1 awarded a five-year #ag1jjj1jjj grant initiative to assist aging victims of the ,holocaust4 7#ah7 ,tulsa ,race ,massacre victims1 #aaa-year-old ,viola ,ford ,fletcher and #aaj-year-old ,lessie ,benningfield ,randle1 are in the twilight of their lives4 ,relief action must be taken post haste4 7#ai7 ,the failure to accord ,race ,massacre victims1 #aaa-year-old ,viola ,ford ,fletcher and #aaj-year-old ,lessie ,benningfield ,randle1 monetary relief similar to prior historical precedents will become justice denied4 #c4 ,just compensation for over #ajj years of suffering and injustice inflicted 7a7 ,payment ,not later than #cj days after receipt of the certification required under subsection 7c71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury shall pay #aj1cih1cfh in compensatory damages and #aj1cih1cfh in punitive damages to each surviving victim of the #aiba ,tulsa ,race ,massacre still alive1 as of ,may #a1 #bjbe 7or1 in the event of death prior to such payment1 to their estate74 7b7 ,basis ,the payment required by subsection 7a7 shall be to compensate the living survivor for the harm they sustained as a result of the failure of the ,federal ,government to prevent1 investigate1 prosecute1 or litigate the ,tulsa ,race ,massacre4 7c7 ,certification ,upon receiving proof of identity in the form of a birth certificate from an individual described in subsection 7a71 the ,assistant ,attorney ,general for ,civil ,rights shall certify the payment authorized under subsection 7a7 to that individual4 ,the ,assistant ,attorney ,general for ,civil ,rights may not require any additional information from such an individual to certify such payments4 7d7 ,judgment fund ,the payments under subsection 7a7 shall be made out of the fund established under section #acjd of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code 7commonly referred to as the ,judgment ,fund74 #d4 ,satisfaction of claims ,the payments made pursuant to section #c shall be in full satisfaction of all claims a living survivor may have against the ,united ,states for any harm described in such section4 #e4 ,ineligibility for additional benefits ,upon payment of the sums referred to in section #c1 a living survivor shall not be eligible for any additional compensation or benefits from the ,federal ,government for any harm described in such section4