Quotes of the Day

“We know that children with incarcerated mothers are five times more likely to end up in prison themselves. ReMerge gives these mothers the opportunity to be part of their children’s lives and chart a new course for their family’s future.”

-Bob Ross, president and CEO of the Inasmuch Foundation, on a comprehensive diversion program in OKC that helps mothers and pregnant women avoid incarceration through treatment and rehabilitation [NewsOK]

“Strong mental health is essential for a good quality of life, but Oklahoma still ranks among the worst in the nation on many measures of mental health. We’re glad to be able to increase the focus on this issue that is sorely needed for Tulsa and all of Oklahoma.”

-Policy Director Carly Putnam, on the launch of OK Policy’s new mental health initiative [OK Policy]

“The hate and vitriol about our differences must stop. Accepting and celebrating differences and finding common ground is absolutely critical to our city, state and country in all areas, but most certainly in public education. Oklahoma City’s renaissance would have been impossible without it.”

-Mary Mélon, president and CEO of the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools [NewsOK]

“Teachers have been down this road. I think if we get somebody else to hold that football we’ll be a little better off.”

-Retired teacher Rob Reck, who said that claims by Kevin Stitt and other candidates that Oklahoma can fully fund schools without ever increasing taxes are like Lucy repeatedly pulling the football away from Charlie Brown [State Impact Oklahoma]

“The untapped potential of younger voters is so large that if they start showing up in larger numbers, election outcomes in Oklahoma could change faster than anyone expects. At the least, our elected officials would have to take the concerns of younger adults much more seriously.”

-OK Policy Executive Director David Blatt, discussing the low turnout among Oklahomans age 18-34 and what could happen if they voted in larger numbers [Journal Record]

“If you’re one or the other, then you’re not adequate to be a Tulsa police officer. We want you to be both of those things. This isn’t policing in the ’80s.”

-Capt. Matt McCord, assistant director of training for the Tulsa Police Department, speaking about why TPD moved to training that includes empathy, cultural competency, and de-escalation as well as self-defense and catching suspects [Tulsa World]

“When you look around and see that our art is alive, our stories are alive, our people are alive and vibrant, and that our communities are strong, you know that Indigenous People’s Day is not a celebration of the past. Ladies and gentlemen, Indigenous People’s Day is a celebration of a bright future, and we’re doing it right here in Tulsa, Oklahoma.”

-Chuck Hoskin Jr., Cherokee Nation secretary of state, speaking at yesterday’s celebration of Native American Day in Tulsa [Tulsa World]

“Of the 106 mental health providers that serve students, there are only five that exist west of Oklahoma City metro area. Only five.”

-State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, speaking about why her department is using federal grant funding to address students’ mental health needs in Western Oklahoma [Public Radio Tulsa]

“That’s the journey, but you’ve got to magnify that unfortunately not times 10 kids, but times hundreds of thousands of kids that are in that category, which requires a complete rebuild of the educational system to turn it into trauma-informed education.”

-Alex Gwinn, president of the Alliance for HOPE International, speaking at a summit to help Oklahoma educators better understand and mitigate the impact of childhood trauma [NewsOK]

“If half of us vote in November, politicians will sit up and take notice, because even the most entrenched insiders fear losing elections. We want our state’s leaders to fear our voting power because they won’t consider us if they don’t.”

-University of Oklahoma student Ben White, writing about why young Oklahomans should vote [NonDoc]