'Confederate Veterans Lives Matter' Claims Tulsa Parade Unfairly Denied Float

Friday, November 6th 2015, 6:38 pm

By: News On 6

Controversy is still brewing around Tulsa's upcoming Veterans Day Parade.

A group in our area that supports the Confederacy said it was not allowed to join the event this year, and now it plans to file a formal complaint against the city.

The group Confederate Veterans Lives Matter wanted to be a part of Wednesday's parade, flying their Confederate flags, but the committee said no.

The group called it unfair, but parade organizers said they have rules that weren't being followed.

Arlene Barnum and Allen Branch, with the group, are hoping to get answers from City Hall.

They had planned to add their float to Wednesday's Veterans Day Parade to honor what they said is an often-overlooked group, Confederate veterans.

"Just a regular old float, have the Confederate flag up there like we have mounted on our trucks, and have some people on the float, and wave our flags and have some visibility," Barnum said.

The Confederate Veterans Lives Matter Group formed this summer after hearing South Carolina banned the rebel flag.

The parade would have been their first opportunity to showcase their cause to the public, but they claim the parade's leaders turned them away.

Branch said, "I'm here for, to get a Confederate Veterans Float in the Parade, and he said, 'Well, you're in the wrong building.'"

But parade organizers said Confederate Veterans Lives Matter didn't follow the proper guidelines.

For one, the group tried to submit an application merely a week before the parade, much too late. On top of that, the committee said it does not allow any group that pushes its own personal agenda, and it believes "Confederate Veterans Lives Matter" is a political message in itself.

The group is planning to file a complaint of discrimination, saying the parade accepted a Muslim group, the Council of American-Islamic Relations, but never gave them a chance.

11/5/2015 Related Story: Amid Controversy, Muslim Group Participates In Tulsa Parade To Honor Veterans

"Why approve another group and then deny us, when the Confederate is a Civil War thing? They're veterans within itself," Barnum said.

The Confederate Veterans Lives Matter group said it plans to attend the parade, nonetheless, as part of the crowd - and they'll be flying Confederate flags.