Lankford was there to sign copies of his new book Turnaround: America's Revival. The protesters wanted to have their voices heard about the state of affairs in Washington; so did the people inside, lined up with their books.
When Full Circle announced the event on Facebook, the post received a negative response — more than half the reactions were angry faces.
"How can you host an ACLU meeting and then turn around and platform someone whose policies directly oppose civil liberties for so many?" one Facebook commenter wrote. "This feels incredibly out of step with the values Full Circle claims to support."
Event coordinator and assistant manager Steven Zoeller said that's the idea — Full Circle aims to be a community space, not an enclave.
He said the bookstore's customers and staff tend to have certain political leanings. One employee wore a "Free Palestine" t-shirt for the book signing; another, a tee emblazoned with Ruth Bader Ginsburg's face and the words "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." But that's not a concern when scheduling these events.
"The bookstore itself doesn't really have much of a viewpoint," Zoeller said. "Other than just that, these people belong in public, where they can engage with the public and the public can engage with them."
He also suggested that a U.S. senator already has a platform, and meeting with constituents at a bookstore doesn't change that.
"If you think he's a dangerous man, I don't think he's any more dangerous behind a signing table at Full Circle than he is anywhere else," Zoeller said. "I don't think that he's here to farm outrage or start a fight. He's here just to chill, talk to constituents and sign books, and I respect that."
Full Circle didn't invite the protesters to the event, but Zoeller did reach out after seeing the plans. He said the bookstore viewed the protesters as guests it was responsible for, and he wanted to make them feel welcome, too.
"Full Circle is a place I go and have coffee and listen to music," said Pat Reaves, who helped organize the protest. "You might see a few people with folding chairs; they came out of Full Circle. They brought us out water. They wanted to make sure that we felt welcome and encourage a full-throated dialogue. And we assured them that we were peaceful folk."
Rallying to oppose Lankford's support for Trump Administration
By the time Lankford started signing books, dozens of protesters already stood outside Full Circle. They waved homemade signs, chanted "Save the Constitution," and chatted amongst themselves. They elicited frequent honks of support from traffic on Northwest Expressway.
Among the signs, two themes arose: protecting the U.S. Constitution and preventing chaos in the federal government.
"Congress has allotted money for certain organizations, and they're not doing anything," protester Jo Davis said. "They're letting that power be taken away from them. We're supposed to have three branches of government."
Pat Reaves with Indivisible Oklahoma helped organize the protest. She said many people have been reaching out to Lankford's office with concerns, but have received no meaningful response.
"We'd love for him to hold a public town hall," she said. "He seems uninclined to do that. So in the absence of that, we're here to make sure that the senator knows and Oklahomans know that we are not complicit with the chaos that's in our federal government."
Reaves said she doesn't expect a public response from Lankford about the protest, but she hopes he's willing to work behind the scenes, as he has in the past.
"We know that when they pulled student visas for students at Oklahoma institutions that he inquired about that," Reaves said. "So we want to be sure that he's doing that, but we want him to be more than reactive."
Reaves said she would like to see Lankford hold Congressional hearings where officials must testify under oath. She's particularly concerned about recent security indiscretions by Secretary of Defense Pete Hesgeth and cuts from the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk.
"If you talk to everybody here, everybody's going to have something else," Reaves said. "Because every day there's something new in the news."
Supporters or not, Oklahomans want their voices heard by senator
Inside, the line to speak with Lankford wound out of Full Circle's cafe area, along the bookstore's east wall and out the door into the atrium of 50 Penn Place.
"I've always been impressed with him," said Don Hensley as he waited toward the back of the line. "He's a bright, strong Christian fellow that I admire. I'm a big Trump supporter, so I'm in the minority in this group today."
That wasn't necessarily true inside the bookstore — many people in line were, like Hensley, there to support Lankford and shake his hand. But some were there to discuss specific issues or express concerns about recent federal moves.
"I've always thought that Lankford was a very ethical person, and I'm disappointed with his silence on some issues," Olivia Hanson said.
Rebekah Williams said she's been friends with the Lankford family for years. As a systems advocate for the Southern Oklahoma Development Association's ombudsman program, Williams consults with lawmakers on what policies are best for aging people.
"I really work diligently with some of the Lankford staff, and they're always really good to respond to what we're needing," Williams said. "Hopefully we'll have their ear attuned for some of the cuts that they're possibly coming down the line to cut a lot of the Older Americans Act."
The bookstore required people to have a copy of Turnaround: America's Revival if they wanted to meet Lankford.
"That's not ideal for us, but it's because we actually are strapped for time," Zoeller said. "He has some place to be at 5:30, and there is something of a fear that people could spend a lot of time talking to him, particularly if they are on the opposite side of the aisle."
Despite the requirement, only one person KOSU spoke with in line had read the book.
"It's very generalized," Geary Walke said. "There are no real political science facts or information given — it's all, 'Be a good person.' And of course, we want our senators to be good people. Doesn't mean that we think they are all the time, but it'd be nice if sometimes we thought that."
The publisher's blurb inside calls it "a journey book, filled with ancient truths, our modern division, personal faith, true stories, a case study on immigration politics, and a lesson about the bees that will kill you."
"I like what I read in the book," Walke said. "I'm trying to figure out why or how that would apply to real world politics in America today. I probably won't get that answer."
Taking 'responsibility' for all constituents
Zoeller's hopes for a fruitful community conversation seemed to work out. One protester said he was escorted outside the bookstore after trying to speak with Lankford at the beginning of the signing, but there were no major hiccups.
"Full Circle is proud of how our staff and customers conducted themselves on Friday," Zoeller said in a text Monday. "Lankford's team was professional and we commend him on pressing on with the visit knowing the varied response he would receive."
He said the store will continue to host people who might not make everyone happy.
"We'll see how the store's reputation, I guess, is affected by events like this as the country becomes more polarized," Zoeller said. "I'm a believer in the central ethos of the store, which is giving everyone a voice and creating an environment where you might encounter people that you disagree with."
But Lankford's book signing wasn't as polarized as one might expect. Attendees — both inside and outside the bookstore — said they wanted Lankford to consider all his constituents.
"I'm sure that Lankford will never see our signs," Jo Davis said, standing outside. "Hopefully some of his fans will see a few of our signs, and they'll realize that not everyone thinks like they do. And he's supposed to represent all of us, not just the people that voted for him."
Inside, Rebekah Williams echoed that sentiment.
"There comes a point where there has to be responsibility for the people that voted you in," Williams said. "And whatever party affiliation you're in, it has to be about all the people, and not just the some of the people."
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
