In a decision that could only be described as history repeating itself, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit brought by the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The plaintiffs were seeking reparations for an event that decimated the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood, or Black Wall Street. So, if you’re keeping score at home, that’s Racism 2, Justice 0.

The court ruled that the grievances put forth by the survivors did not fall within the scope of Oklahoma's public nuisance statute. This legal technicality has become the ultimate curveball, striking out hopes for reparations faster than you can say "Jim Crow."

The plaintiffs, Hughes Van Ellis, Viola Fletcher, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, filed the lawsuit back in 2020. If you're wondering about the timeline, yep, it took about a century for the wheels of justice to start turning—and that’s just to reject the case. This is like waiting at the DMV, but instead of leaving with a driver’s license, you leave empty-handed.

Sadly, Hughes Van Ellis didn't live to see the outcome—he passed away last year at the age of 102. Apparently, outliving systemic injustice wasn’t enough to beat the clock of bureaucracy.

The lawsuit was a call to force the city of Tulsa to compensate for the 1921 destruction and loss caused by a rampaging white mob. The massacre resulted in the deaths of up to 300 Black Tulsans and the obliteration of more than 30 blocks. Think of it as urban renewal, 1920s style, sponsored by white supremacists.

One might say Greenwood was "blessed" with mass arson and murder rather than economic opportunity. Survivors were never compensated, which has contributed to ongoing racial and economic disparities. The lawsuit aimed to rectify some of these issues by seeking an account of lost property and wealth, the construction of a hospital in North Tulsa, and the creation of a victim's compensation fund.

Shockingly, the plaintiffs' allegations didn't sufficiently support a claim for unjust enrichment. So, the city and insurance companies who never squared up for the total carnage? Totally cool, according to this whirlwind of legal rationale.

The city of Tulsa issued a statement, emphasizing the court’s decision and its ongoing efforts in the North Tulsa and Greenwood communities. In layman's terms, "We’ll fix what we can but not on your terms." Tulsa's approach seems akin to handing out band-aids when the city needs a full-blown hospital.

Though the court didn’t rule in their favor, it’s worth noting that the intention behind the lawsuit remains: to single out systemic indifference. Even a century later, the pleas for restitution underscore unresolved racial dynamics—an era where even closing an open wound of history seems subject to legal roadblocks.

So, the scoreboard remains: survivors struck out without even seeing the umpire, and justice continues warming the bench. Here's to hoping this game isn't over yet. Perhaps someday, the cries for justice won’t be a swing and miss. For now, it’s back to square one in the ongoing fight for equality against a system seemingly designed to leave certain players perpetually benched.