Published: November 03, 2009 11:37 am      

Tulsa mayor’s home is site of protest over layoffs

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Supporters of the Tulsa Police Department protested outside the home of Mayor Kathy Taylor on Friday over the layoffs of 21 officers.

“We are not doing any harm to anyone. We are just bringing the message to her home because that is where it affects us the most — at our homes,” Kelsey Morris said.

Several of the people holding protest signs outside the mayor’s house said they are friends of the laid-off officers.

“It does not matter if you know them or not; they are officers who served the city of Tulsa,” Ryan Kifer said. “It is a big hit on everybody, whether they realize it or not, when the city loses cops.”

The Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police issued a statement recognizing the support generated by the officers’ layoffs on Tuesday. But the group suggested that any protest occur at a public site and not near private property in a residential neighborhood.

The protesters, however, said taking their concerns to the mayor’s home was the best way to bring attention to what they believe is an injustice.

“We are pretty upset about them laying off the 21 Tulsa police officers,” Kifer said. “We came out here to try and send a message to the community and people that don’t really understand why they were laid off or who might not have been fully educated on the matter.

“Hopefully, we can change the minds of the citizens and maybe take a couple of donations for those officers who lost their jobs.”

Taylor has said the layoffs and other measures were necessary to cut the department’s budget by $2 million. The mayor’s spokeswoman, Kim MacLeod, did not immediately return a phone call to The Associated Press on Saturday seeking comment about the protest.

Kifer said the protesters had no contact with anyone at the mayor’s house.

The Tulsa FOP has called for more stable funding sources for essential city services like police protection.

In 2006, then-Tulsa City Councilor Roscoe Turner called for the city to seek alternative revenue sources to replace sales tax, including the possibility of seeking a new law to allow the city to get property-tax revenues into its general fund.

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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com