MLK Coalition Thanks OKC Police Officers For Response To Pursuit

This year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade was one of the biggest ever, but at one point there was the potential for things to go really bad. 

As participants and spectators lined streets, most of them unaware of possible danger just blocks away. 

“Now we don’t know what would have happened if they had let him go, but we do know what could have happened,” OKC MLK Coalition President William Jones said.  

With the crisis prevented and a successful parade the MLK coalition wanted to thank the officers for saving the day. 

“That parade was full of men, women, and children of all races all walks of life and they were protected by the police department,” Jones said. 

The parade committee wanted to meet the officers and thank them face to face. 

“It means a lot to those officers that made those decisions and took the actions they did that day, it means a lot to them as well to know that they are appreciated by their community,” Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said. 

With recent racial divides with police officers, it was significant that the bridge be strengthened during a MLK event 

“They weren’t just protecting black people, they weren’t just protecting white people, they were protecting people, and that’s what Martin Luther King was all about, it people,” Jones said. 

it’s always good for police officers to be appreciated and it happens more than people realize. 

“It occurs more in Oklahoma City than you see in other places we have a lot of support here,” Gourley said. 

The police officers said they were just doing their job, but the coalition believes this act is much more than just a job. 

“So many times, we are willing to say the police didn’t do this or the police didn’t do that but that day they made a difference,” Jones said.