At the direction of Gov. Kevin Stitt, state troopers were dispatched to encampments in Tulsa on Friday morning with instructions to clear people inhabiting state land.
Stitt announced his intentions to start forcibly sweeping encampments on Thursday and has been publicizing and lauding his own efforts, called Operation SAFE, on almost every social media platform since.
"Homeless individuals will either be transported to a treatment/housing facility or taken to jail if they refuse help. After, the encampment will be cleaned out by the State," Stitt wrote next to a video panning over temporary structures, people and their belongings, posted on multiple platforms.
It's one of many videos in a stream of posts emphasizing the governor's efforts to fix the "disaster" he said "homeless people on every corner" have turned the city into. State troopers, dressed in uniform and carrying guns, stand onscreen.
Before moving to arrest someone in an encampment, the troopers have been instructed, and are required by state law, to offer them access to treatment.
Carrie Blumert, the chief executive officer of Mental Health Association Oklahoma, a large service provider in Tulsa that works directly with the homeless population, said Stitt's plans came as a surprise.
"I have not talked to one service provider who said they knew this was coming," Blumert said.
Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for the governor's office, could not provide a list of possible treatment locations where people could be transported instead of being arrested, or the number of shelter spaces available.
"You could probably Google how many programs exist in Tulsa, and I think you're going to be shocked at how many people run some sort of program for homelessness in Tulsa," Cave said.
'Traumatic experiences'
Blumert said providers are already stretched thin, an issue further exacerbated by recent cuts in funding for mental health care and substance abuse treatment across the state.
"If highway patrol are going to bring 20 to 30 people to the shelter right now here in Tulsa, there's not going to be room," she said.
Blumert said she worries, not only that there won't be room for those who elect to be connected to care, but that forcing them into shelters will harm the trust service providers have been working to build.
"Oftentimes people are pretty turned off by the system and they don't want to engage," she said. "We go out in t-shirts and jeans, and we don't force them to do anything. We build trust. We come back over and over and over. When you have a highway patrolman come in and just kick everybody out, it just creates more traumatic experiences. And it doesn't push people to want to get help."
As of April, fewer than 40 Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers have received Crisis Intervention Training since 2016, according to records from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The state employs more than 500 troopers.
The training teaches officers skills to safely de-escalate mental health crises, identify individuals in need of treatment and connect them with appropriate mental health services.
"Our Troopers are working professionally and firmly— issuing clear warnings, offering individuals a path to treatment or housing, and making arrests when laws are being broken," Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokesperson Mark Southall wrote in a statement. "Troopers will ensure the public and their property is protected, and ensure that our highways and underpasses are not overrun by encampments that endanger everyone."
Perpetuating the problem
National health and housing experts advise against encampment sweeps, saying they do nothing to address the root causes of homelessness and cause significant trauma to local community members.
Barbara DiPietro is the senior director of policy at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, which serves clinics in Oklahoma, including one in Tulsa. She said encampment sweeps can make people more resistant to care.
"Sweeps do nothing to solve homelessness," DiPietro said.
She said efforts should instead focus on creating viable housing options, treatment options and policy changes that address the structural issues pushing people into poverty.
"Unless there's a house that comes after that, you go right back to the street," she said.
In the commotion caused by a sweep, DiPietro said people might lose important documents, like IDs or birth certificates, that will make getting a job, and getting out of homelessness, more difficult. She said that's not all that can be lost.
"We've had people who've lost precious, irreplaceable things – pictures of their children, ashes of loved ones, family Bibles, things that just have real value," she said. "But because they're homeless, we don't treat them as if they have any value."
Ripple effects
Videos touting Operation SAFE from Stitt's office kept coming. In one posted Friday afternoon, he credited the Oklahoma City police for "working an encampment."
"Good on Mayor David Holt for taking inspiration from Operation SAFE," Stitt wrote.
Sgt. Dillon Quirk with the Oklahoma City Police Department said officers were responding to a routine service call and are not working directly with the governor's office.
A spokesperson for OKC's Key to Home Partnership – a collaboration of 50 nonprofits working to end homelessness in the city – also denied officers were acting in response to the governor's moves in Tulsa.
"Key to Home, nor the City of OKC, is taking any inspiration from what Governor Stitt is doing in Tulsa," spokeswoman Erika Warren wrote in an email. "The City routinely assists ODOT with people experiencing homelessness on their property and the video shows a routine situation."
Warren further disavowed the camp clearing strategy.
"Housing is the solution to homelessness and the City and Key to Home are committed to providing a dignified solution to homelessness and ensuring everyone has a place to call home," she wrote.
Still, others are applauding Stitt's efforts. Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, praised the enforcement strategy in a press release.
"Norman families, businesses, and law-abiding citizens deserve clean and safe public spaces. I strongly encourage Governor Stitt to bring Operation SAFE to Norman as soon as possible," Standridge said.
Stitt says his action is a response to failing city efforts. And his rollout is the solution.
"Tulsa families deserve to be at peace in their own city," Stitt said in a stern voice, staring directly into the camera from a seat behind his desk. "And our state is going to do our part to make sure of it."
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.
