Oklahoma City

Members of the Black Lives Matter movement marched in downtown Oklahoma City on Sunday to call for policing reform.

Protesters chanted “We come in peace,” “What do we want? Justice,” and “Black lives matter,” as they filled up the pavilion in front of the Harkins Theatre in Bricktown. Along the way, some stopped to share a hug or handshake with on duty Oklahoma City police officers. The demonstration was peaceful, and speakers called for systemic changes for how police interact with minority communities.

Mick Cornett, the mayor of Oklahoma City, grew up there and saw the city he now leads rebound from the 1995 bombing of the Murrah federal building. He’s the incoming head of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which meets in Indianapolis this weekend.

In a conversation with Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd, Cornett weighs in on how a city recovers from a terrorist attack, and describes the crisis facing virtually every mayor in the U.S.: how to pay for repairs to crumbling infrastructure like roads and bridges.

Freedom Oklahoma held a candle light vigil for the victims of the Orlando, Florida shooting Sunday evening at their offices in Oklahoma City. The state’s LGBT advocacy organization welcomed about 500 people to the event.

Peggy Johnson opened the vigil with a song and was followed by local religious leaders, legislators and gay community advocates speaking about peace, healing and love. The June 12^th shooting in Orlando comes during Pride Month, and Freedom Oklahoma director Troy Stevenson said that has not been lost on the people in attendance.

Canoe and kayak slalom athletes competed in Oklahoma City this weekend for their chance to represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The team trials coincided with the opening of Oklahoma City’s Riversport Rapids whitewater rafting and kayaking center. The new $45.2 million Riversport Rapids center at Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District is part of the MAPS 3 one cent municipal sales tax.