The next solo project from Tulsa rapper Mike Dee, member of hiphop collective Oilhouse and powerful frontman with Stone Trio, explores the breaking point of Dee’s “love everybody” motto in the age of Trump and the Alt-Right. Dee, who is making all the beats himself for “The Saddest EP,” will include samples of Donald Trump on all seven tracks. “I found a YouTube page where they collected all the most ridiculous shit he’s ever said, and I listen to it and go, ‘oh, that sucks,’ and then I sample it,” Dee said. Apart from the “ridiculous shit,” Dee sampled his own breathing patterns for beats. Dee often whips up crowds into chanting “love everybody.” But he said exercising the creed is “definitely a difficult task” in a post-Charlottesville climate. “Like, whoever the guy was that ran through that protest … it is hard to follow that motto,” Dee said. “But also, there is the kind of love that my mom gives me—she loves me, but if I’m super disrespectful, she’s gonna beat my ass. There is a way to love, and stand up for love … but also stand up for yourself.” “For me, I know that racism exists … but not to the level that has been shown lately,” Dee said. “I’ve had people drive by and say the N-word, and people have followed me in stores, but now I have to be cautious where I am, and have crazy mofos that may try to prove something … I’m worried about my fam and my sisters, you know?” “The Saddest E.P.” will condemn the current ills Dee sees in our nation, but he also hopes to start conversations with the people that may hate him for his skin. “I just want to understand, and I want them to let me know where they’re coming from,” he said. “Because I don’t get it.” — MITCH GILLIAM
In its 12 years of existence, the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in downtown Tulsa was never the target of serious vandalism—until 45 days into the Trump presidency. Police located 13 pellet bullets that punctured the Center’s front door and windows on March 6, damaging the bulletproof glass and alarming employees and volunteers. The Center houses the LGBT advocate organization, Oklahomans for Equality (OKEQ), as well as Dream Act Oklahoma and Mosaic, Tulsa Regional Chamber’s diversity business council. “The safe zones that have been created in our country are being eliminated one by one,” said OKEQ Program Director Jose Vega. “I believe my work is to rebuild them with more concrete reinforcement and pull in even bigger allies than before. The shooting wasn’t even considered a hate crime, because the state doesn’t have a law that addresses hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That has to change.” Since the election, Jose says the number of suicide calls to OKEQ has tripled. “After every presidential announcement or executive order, we keep getting calls saying, ‘I feel bad and I don’t wanna live,’” Vega said. “So, we knew we had to be proactive. We recently provided a series of free suicide prevention training.” The key to fighting the resistance in Vega’s mind? Allies. “We need to break down boundaries,” Vega said. “I identify as a Latino cisgender gay man, so while I connect and fight for Latino/immigrant and LGBT rights, I’m also a huge supporter for all other movements, like Black Lives Matter. As an ally, you may have a different connection than they do. Be willing to give them those connections and let them be the face of the movement. That [reinforces], ‘we’re all going to be behind you, helping you.’” Vega sees signs of unity coming out of the resistance. “After every disaster, mishap, or whatever you want to call it, we are seeing unity,” Vega said. “All these very different communities are coming together, little by little. People want to be part of something, and since the election our number of volunteers has tripled.” —LAUREN PARKINSON
Guillermo Rojas had to watch his wife, Marina, and Tulsa-born infant son walk away. The family had traveled from Tulsa to the border town of Juarez to get an immigration waiver for his wife. Heading home, they were stopped at customs. Marina was told she couldn’t reenter the U.S. She was accused of human trafficking and of attempting to smuggle young Mateo across the border, and her American passport was stamped: “Not admissible to the United States for ten years.” Guillermo pleaded with customs officials: “This is not true. This is not true.” Mateo’s passport had not been validated by the immigration staffer when they crossed the bridge into Juarez; there was no proof he was ever in America. The officials took Marina’s waiver documents. She and Mateo traveled to her father’s house in Mexico City. Emotionally shattered by a change of presidents and policy, Guillermo and his older son, Diego, returned to Tulsa, where the Rojases had lived for fifteen years. During the Obama presidency, the path to these waivers was clearer. Months earlier, before the 2016 election, Guillermo helped Diego through the process. No hitches. Inspired by the ease of Diego’s immigration experience, Guillermo completed the paperwork for Marina’s waiver. With the 2016 election season in full swing, the Immigration Department ground to a halt. Post-election, Trump tightened the screws. The Rojas family suffered.
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OKLAHOMANS FOR EQUALITY
Guillermo was “destroyed, the worst ever,” he said. But he called the American Consulate in Juarez every day. They knew of Marina’s case but couldn’t help and couldn’t say why. As three months passed, he wrote poems to his missing family. In March, Guillermo’s daily query was answered. Marina’s papers were ready. He flew to Mexico City. Within two days, Marina had a visa and a restored passport. But as their car approached the border, they were uneasy. “Anything to declare?” the guard asked. “Only a bottle of tequila,” Guillermo said. “Follow me.” The words echoed in Guillermo’s ears. The guard punched some computer keys, stared awhile at the screen. “Three bucks. OK, free to go.” A clear path. But the path isn’t as clear for all Latinos. In his weekly Tulsa newspaper, La Semana, Guillermo encourages Dreamers to defy Trump. “Maybe one day my little Mateo will be President.” —STEVE GERKIN
November 1 – 14, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE
PHOTOS BY GREG BOLLINGER
MIKE DEE
JOSE VEGA