Oklahoma county officials recorded making racist remarks, discussing killing reporter

Geoff Bennett:

Calls for the resignation of county officials in Southeastern Oklahoma continued today after they were secretly recorded making racist remarks, including comments about killing reporters and lynching Black residents.

One county commissioner has already stepped down.

Stephanie Sy has the story.

Stephanie Sy:

Geoff, the recording was obtained by a local newspaper, The McCurtain Gazette-News. A reporter who has spent months investigating corruption at the sheriff's office left an audio recorder in the room after a county commissioner's meeting ended, suspecting the sheriff, the commissioner and others would continue to conduct business.

Instead, he apparently captured a recording of top county officials allegedly discussing wanting to kill a McCurtain Gazette reporter, while waxing nostalgic about the days when a sheriff could take a — quote — "Black guy, throw him in a cell and beat him."

We're going to play a snippet of the recording where the suggestions of murder continue in, we should warn you, graphic detail.

Mark Jennings, Former McCurtain County, Oklahoma, Commissioner:

I know. Take them down to Mud Creek and hang them up with a damn rope. But you can't do that anymore. They got more rights than we got.

I know where two big deep holes are here if you ever need them.

Kevin Clardy, McCurtain County, Oklahoma, Sheriff:

I have got an excavator.

Mark Jennings:

Well, these are already pre-dug. But the thing of it is, you know…

Alicia Manning, Sheriff’s Investigator:

We actually told the truth.

Mark Jennings:

I have known — I have known two or three hit men. They're very quiet guys.

Stephanie Sy:

For reaction, I want to bring in Deon Osborne, the managing editor for The Black Wall Street Times. He's based in Greenwood, Oklahoma.

Deon, thank you for joining the "NewsHour."

As a Black journalist living in Oklahoma, what was your reaction when you heard the full audio?

Deon Osborne, Managing Editor, The Black Wall Street Times:

Well, of all, thank you so much for having me on and sharing our perspective.

When I first heard the audio, my first reaction, honestly, I was alarmed, but not shocked. It's another day in Oklahoma for us. We have covered so many stories about race and racism, while state officials downplay its impact on our communities. And this is just evidence of how pervasive it still is in Oklahoma.

Stephanie Sy:

The sheriff's office has shown no contrition and is saying the conversation was illegally recorded. They're even saying it's altered.

What do you think of what this journalist did, planting that recording device in the room?

Deon Osborne:

I am proud, I'm grateful that this journalist obviously risked his own life, so that we all can see the truth and hear the truth with our own ears.

Oklahoma state law shows that we are a one-party consent state when it comes to recordings. So the sheriff is completely lying when it comes to accusing this journalist of breaking the law. He did not break the law. He did his duty as a journalist, and I'm proud of him.

Stephanie Sy:

And the Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt seems to believe in the veracity of this recording, because he has asked for four county officials, including the sheriff, to resign.

What do you think of the governor's response? And what other accountability are you hearing Oklahomans demand?

Deon Osborne:

Well, I'm glad to hear the governor call for the bare minimum.

But, obviously, these officials should all have been fired immediately. If the Florida governor has the power to fire a liberal district attorney that he doesn't like, I don't understand why our governor doesn't have the power to immediately fire these officials who are caught suggesting killing a journalist and lynching Black people in 2023.

What we have heard from people in our community is that they want these officials fired, and they want all cases that they have overseen, reinvestigated.

Stephanie Sy:

Journalists even recently have been killed for doing their jobs. It's not necessarily the case that this conversation was said just jokingly.

And, in fact, the FBI has opened an investigation, as you know, Deon. Do you expect these officials to face criminal liability for this recorded conversation?

Deon Osborne:

I don't know that I trust our legal system enough to go to the full extent of pressing criminal charges.

I hope that that is the case, because what you're seeing is, if elected officials feel free enough to make these kinds of statements, what is it telling the people in Oklahoma who may already have these ideas in their hearts? What is it telling them? This is a state that, just 102 years ago, orchestrated one of the most severe domestic terrorism attacks on the Black community with the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

And what we're seeing is the mentality that led to that attack is still alive in the hearts and minds of some of these Oklahomans.

Stephanie Sy:

Do you have any hope that anything will change as a result of this conversation coming to light, Deon?

Deon Osborne:

Well, I do hope that journalists, elected officials from Oklahoma, to Florida, across the nation become less worried, less afraid to call racism out.

We have to start calling it out when we see it. And we are in a state where our officials don't even want us to have the words diversity, equity and inclusion taught in public schools. And so I was a little bit saddened that most of our state officials did not use the word racism when they condemned these officials.

They need to be able to call it out explicitly, because the only way we're going to eradicate this is for us to address it head on.

Stephanie Sy:

Deon Osborne, the managing editor of The Black Wall Street Times joining us from Oklahoma, thank you so much, Deon.

Deon Osborne:

Thank you so much for having me.