by WorldTribune Staff, June 17, 2020
A lawsuit which essentially aimed to stop President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa on Saturday was dismissed by a judge.
The lawsuit aimed to force ASM Global, the owner of the 19,000-seat BOK Center where the Make America Great Again rally will be held, to make it mandatory for attendees and arena workers to use face masks and enforce social distancing rules that would be impractical for a mass public event such as a political rally or demonstration.
Judge Rebecca Nightingale rejected the lawsuit in Tulsa County court, according to local reports on Tuesday. The suit was brought by two local black-history organizations — The Greenwood Cultural Centre and the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation.
“Such a collection of events would result in a super-spreader event that spreads the virus across northeastern Oklahoma and other places attendees go,” said attorney Clark Brewster, who filed the lawsuit.
Related: Tulsa attorneys sue to force face masks, social distancing at Trump rally
The Trump campaign said attendees at the rally will be given temperature checks, masks and hand sanitizer before entering the arena.
Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeted on Monday that there had been more than 1 million requests for tickets for the Tulsa rally.
The Trump campaign website says rally goers can request up to two tickets per phone number and that tickets are first-come, first-served. Doors will open four hours before the event.
Some reports suggested that anti-Trumpers are trying to ensure the arena won’t be full by requesting tickets and then not showing up.
“That is the silliest idea I’ve ever heard,” said Bob Jack, chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Party. “Let’s say half of the people are fake tickets. We’re still good.”
The efforts to leave empty seats aren’t likely to work. Even if roughly 98 percent of the 1 million people who registered to attend plan on skipping the event, there would still be enough people to fill the BOK Center to capacity.
David McLain, chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, said in a June 15 news conference that admission would be first-come, first-served. Any attendees in excess of the BOK Center’s capacity would be directed to watch from the nearby Cox Center, he said.
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