Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel -- which means, "God with us."

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved; you and your household.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Men of Galilee, they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath."

By JOHN STANCAVAGE World Business Editor
Published: 12/5/2010 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 12/5/2010 6:09 AM

Editor's note: This ongoing series looks at issues and developments in north Tulsa as Business Editor John Stancavage participates in an eight-month program conducted by Leadership Tulsa.

There are a lot of myths about north Tulsa, but perhaps the most prevalent is that the area is not safe.

Reports of shootings and robberies are what many people seem to associate with the area, but the average Tulsan is more likely to have something stolen much farther south, according to Tulsa Police Department data.

TPD Maj. Matt Kirkland offered an overview of the city's crime trends recently to class members of the North Tulsa Development Council. I'm part of the eight-month Leadership Tulsa program, which is designed to educate people like me about the area, as well as train some of its grassroot leaders.

"The busiest area for crime, as far as burglary and larceny, is 71st Street and Memorial Drive," Kirland said. "And, you are most likely to have a knife put in your face and robbed at 41st Street and 129th East Avenue."

In contrast, much of north Tulsa is safe for employees going and coming from work, professionals providing services or residents who might decide to hold a barbecue in their backyard.

Of course, if you're out in north Tulsa - or anywhere else in the city - at 3 a.m. and are rolling with a bunch of gang members, then you probably are not safe, Kirkland said.

"It really gets down to who you know and what you are doing," the officer
said.

Despite all of those facts, stereotypes about the north side continue, he said.

"The perception is that violence and robberies only happen in north Tulsa, and that these things only happen to blacks. A lot of people think that if you're white and in south Tulsa you are safe."

Kirkland said the TPD is taking a number of steps to improve its crime-fighting efforts. One is a return to the beat system, which should increase the visibility of officers in areas like north Tulsa and allow them to interact more with residents in their coverage zones.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for us to reconnect with our communities," he said.

Along with crime, north Tulsa faces other problems that actually are shared by many other areas in the state, including medical, educational and infrastructure issues.

"North Tulsa is a microcosm of these challenges," said Jan Figart, associate director of the Community Service Council, who also spoke at the recent NTDC class day.

As a whole, Oklahoma residents are less healthy than the U.S. population. Oklahomans tend to die earlier from preventable disease, Figart said. Related to that outcome, they also partake in more unhealthy habits, ranging from poor diet and tobacco use to addiction to meth and other drugs.

"Our No. 2 industry, to aerospace, is meth," Figart said. "Our No. 2 crop is pot."

In north Tulsa, where medical services are more scarce and food choices limited, residents tend to die particularly early.

Part of the solution, Figart said, is to teach the importance of healthier eating in schools.

Education itself is a worry. The number of children in the city's public schools have fallen sharply, while the tax base also has shrunk. Meanwhile, with school buildings averaging 50 years old, some tough decisions need to be made on what institutions should remain open, she said.

The trend of moving to the suburbs also has affected north Tulsa, Figart said. In fact, she said, statistics show African-Americans are moving out of the area to outlying communities and to the neighborhoods around the 61st Street and Peoria Avenue intersection.

"It's an interesting phenomenon," Figart said.

Tulsa as a whole, she said, is undergoing some significant demographic changes.

"We're diversifying, especially in the number of Hispanics and Asians who are moving here."

Figart, like several other speakers in the series, mentioned that north Tulsa still is suffering the aftereffects of some urban renewal efforts.

"There are fewer homes in north Tulsa now," she said. "They were removed to make room for businesses. But not all of those tracts were developed, so there are gaps in there. It looks like a carved pumpkin."

Going forward, north Tulsa leaders would like to see those gaps filled with new construction. Other parts of the north side are ripe for redevelopment.

One of the class projects for the NTDC group, in fact, is to devise a strategy to revitalize the North Ridge Shopping Center at 5031 N. Peoria Ave. The class members are working on a site plan and marketing prospectus.

Hopefully, it will be just one of many projects to get a close look by investors - especially as the area's misperceptions are overcome.

By JOHN STANCAVAGE World Business Editor

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Report Commentmy view, Sand Springs (1 day ago)
It's no myth north Tulsa is dangerous.

At one time north Tulsa had a lot of shopping, there was nothing anyone needed that they couldn't purchase in north Tulsa. That's not the case today, because of crime most have moved out.
Report CommentAmerican Infidel, Tulsa (1 day ago)
Blacklion, I don't know where you live, but 15th & Peoria is not a rampant crime area. It is, after all, the beginning of the famous "Cherry Street" mile which runs all the way across 15th Street to Utica. You need to conquer your fear and actually drive to 15th & Peoria and see all the restaurants, boutiques, and other commercial ventures there and on eastward on 15th to Utica.
Report CommentAmerican Infidel, Tulsa (1 day ago)
And, by the way, 15th & Peoria IS NOT IN NORTH TULSA!!!!!
Report Commentcrawfish, (1 day ago)
I would like clarity on..."and food choices limited." Was he talking about healthy food available at grocery stores or framers markets or was he talking about the junk-food one buys at restaurants, QT's and fast-food joints?

It is time to take responsibility for our actions. Using tobacco, participating in unprotected sex, using illegal drugs, being in a gang, and eating poorly are all examples of choices that WILL cut our life short.

I am not perfect, have made a few bad choices along the way, but I fully accept that those actions do and will have repercussions. I do not lay blame on anyone but myself. Seems like it is WAY past time for some to participate in the 'ol "pick yourself up by your own boot-straps."


Report Commentderekdyson, Tulsa (1 day ago)
Blacklion, you're a southie aren't you? "even blacks want safe homes for their children"..ya think? 15th and peoria is mid town and the only crimes that are happening on that corner are DUI's, do*che bags fighting outside of gray snail and drunks fighting in whataburger. I've lived and worked downtown for ten years now (all of my 20's) and I wouldn't live anywhere else in this city. It's where the culture is. I'd much rather deal with street people and occasional vandalism than deal with the people who come in from the burbs and south tulsa.
Report Commentconjuguemos, Tulsa (1 day ago)
If you count the pat-down searches at the airport, which is on the northside of Tulsa, you are more likely to be molested....that's an example of how jaded these north Tulsa myths are. I don't ever have any problems, going to the library, the zoo, the grocery store, the restaurants, the cleaners, the pharmacy, the bank, or any other business in north Tulsa AND I don't have to deal with angry drivers like in south Tulsa.
Report CommentLibertarians Unite, (1 day ago)
LOL...what a crock article...Does the TW reporters read their own paper???????
Report CommentDavidM F, Somewhere (1 day ago)
North Tulsa safe...HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH...and they don't have crack....or guns...
Report CommentThunder196, Tulsa (1 day ago)
At 3am in the morning it is not safe anywhere. It is because of the element roaming Tulsa. As the article says there are a lot myths about North Tulsa.

Keep running an area down long enough with your mouth and eventually it will happen. I hear gun shots in my area also, I definitely do not live in North Tulsa.
Report CommentBlacklion, Tulsa (1 day ago)
I have to correct my initial comment. It certainly wasn't 15th and Peoria, it was Pine and Lewis. And no I don't live in the southie area. I live at Apache and Harvard. Which is actually a nice quiet area with the exception of the commanche apartments. But in any event, there is plenty of crime to go around in Tulsa, no matter where you live, it's not just at the two addresses listed in the article, (he says as another man is knived at 129th street area). And of course only the cultured people live downtown with the homeless.
Report Commentmmac, (18 hours ago)
I remember a woman telling me at work that they were building a new casino in north tulsa and she was exited about going there. I said thats a terrible place to put a casino and i wouldnt go there. She called me a racist. Six months after it opened she went there and almost got kidnapped. She was walking out and a van pulled up open its doors and two people tried to grab and push her in. She fought back and escaped running to a security. I told her what she thought of me now. Am i a racist or was i right?
Report CommentTravelin Man, tulsa (14 hours ago)
North Tulsa is SAFE if you have an AK47.
Report CommentRush 2112, Wicked Witch of D.C. (13 hours ago)
"There are a lot of myths about north Tulsa, but perhaps the most prevalent is that the area is not safe."

Tell that to the guy who was shot at the Chicken Hut earlier this year. The lovely north Tulsa patrons of CH stepped over his dying body to get their food, instead of calling 911 in an attempt to help him. And then they attacked the emergency personnel from EMSA who responded to try and help the guy.

And the only reason other areas of Tulsa are no longer safe (61st & Peoria for example) are because groups like Community Service Council pushed to re-locate section 8 welfare queens to other parts of the city in the hope of "bringing these people up" by putting them in nicer areas of town. Instead, these people have dragged the surrounding neighborhoods down!

How much longer are we going to tolerate this failed social experiment?
Report CommentRush 2112, Oh, that's why they can't see (10 hours ago)
""The busiest area for crime, as far as burglary and larceny, is 71st Street and Memorial Drive," "

Larceny - noun: the act of taking something from someone unlawfully

I believe most larceny charges are for shoplifting (aka petty larceny). Makes sense that the 71st & Memorial area has the highest rate of this type of crime, since most of the shopping malls and chain electronic stores are located in the 71st & Memorial to US 169 corridor.

The store owners know better than to put stores in North Tulsa. Just ask the guy who re-opened the old Albertson's location his thoughts on this subject.

No stores, no larceny. It's not rocket science.

I noticed that the areas you are most likely to be shot or murdered in wasn't listed in the article. Was this because you are most likely to see this type of crime in North Tulsa?
Report CommentLoophole, (10 hours ago)
I guess that most businesses are closed when the driveby shootings and murders occur. They sure didn't wait long to hit the new grocery store. Sure the burglaries and larcenies are going to happen in south Tulsa because there's more loot available. If north Tulsa is so safe for retail business, why do we see do many bars on windows and doors, security cameras, and store clerks behind bulletproof windows?
Report CommentRush 2112, Oh, that's why they can't see (10 hours ago)
Lets take a look at one other area that used to be safe, but is not anymore now that a nearby apartment was turned into Section 8 housing - 56th & South Lewis. I grew up in that neighborhood, and the apartments I'm referencing (London Square) used to be nice back in the 80's.

However today I am leery to drive by there. TPD found one or two of the people who murdered that poor man at Rib Crib earlier this year in an apartment at London Square (were they the actual Section 8 tennants, or just 'hanging' with one of the tennants there? - that I don't know). And a friend of mine who owns a business in the area has had it broken into twice in the past month.

This is why I say we need to move all the Section 8 tennants to one area of the city, instead of spreading them around and turning pockets throughout the city into high crime areas.

I've discussed my idea of building a tent city for them out by the quaries in NE Tulsa as one potential solution in the past. It is time we start looking at something like this to address the spread of crime throughout the city! Then even the residents of North Tulsa will truly be safe again, and the 'myth' of North Tulsa being a high crime area really will just be a myth.

It isn't the area per se that is the problem, it is where certain elements of society decide to congregate that results in the high crime rates. And it sure does appear to me that most of the 'criminal element' follows Section 8 residences like the plague.
Report Commentconserv-o-king, (9 hours ago)
Yeah, those people commiting those crimes at 71st and memorial and other places south and east of "Turley" and North Tulsa commit these crimes then drive back home... to North Tulsa! Why would there be much burglary in North Tulsa? To steal what from whom? To insinuate that one is safer by McLain then they are by Union is ridiculous, false, and potentially dangerous!
Report CommentRush 2112, Oh, that's why they can't see (9 hours ago)
"Our No. 2 industry, to aerospace, is meth," Figart said. "Our No. 2 crop is pot."

If that's the case, then we need to legalize meth and pot and start taxing them. No wonder sales tax revenues are down in the city when we aren't collecting any taxes from our number 2 industry and crop!

Not only will we get increased revenues, but we should also see a drop in expenditures for incarceration of drug users and dealers, as well as decreased medical costs from city (taxpayer) funded treatment of the people shot when drug deals go bad.

I don't have a problem with legalizing and taxing drugs that are currently considered 'illicit', as long as the powers that be at the city/state/federal level don't expect us (taxpayers) to pay for the drug users' rehab and medical costs resulting from their drug use.

If they want to destroy their lives and fry their brains, more power to them. Let's start collecting our share of taxes on those items, just like we do with tobacco and alcohol!
Report Commentconserv-o-king, (8 hours ago)
Rush, genius, what about the lives they will almost certainly end while in their drug-induced stupor? Contrary to popular belief, laws that prohibit drug use are not enforced to protect morons from killing themselves, they are enforced to keep these idiots from committing felonious acts on the rest of us. Geez man, get a clue!
Report CommentOmegaspin, (8 hours ago)
Checks date. Nope not April 1st. What kind of bizarro world is this guy living in? Pass whatever you're smoking, it must be really good. Now it's true you may be safe on the North side, not from the thugs but from the corrupt Tulsa police who essentially refuse to patrol that area.
Report CommentRush 2112, Oh, that's why they can't see (3 hours ago)
conserv-o-king, using your logic then alcohol and all forms of burning tobacco (cigs, cigars) should be made illegal too.

that way nobody will die from someone else's second hand smoke, or because some drunk got behind the wheel because they thought they were sober enough to drive home.

is someone under the influence of pot, or even meth, really that much more likely to kill someone than a person under the influence of alcohol? maybe someone has done a study showing that meth heads or pot heads are more likely to kill or commit other violent felonies than drunks. if you know of one and will post the details, i'll reconsider my opinion that illicit drugs should be made legal. but until then my opinion still stands.

I don't buy your argument. Matter of fact it sounds like something that would come out of a liberal's mouth...based on emotion instead of fact. and you call yourself the king of conservatives?
Report Commentconserv-o-king, (3 hours ago)
I sound like a liberal, really, because I have some semblance of sense... You are the reason that liberals and democrats think all republicans and conservatives are sitting in our trailers with a six pack of Bud, watching a bug zapper and waiting for the homosexuals and Mexicans to destroy our fine nation. And in case you haven't noticed, yes, it is liiegal to smoke in nearly ALL public places. Have you been out recently?
Maybe you have never seen someone really jacked up on meth or coke, if not, count yourself fortunate. If so, you should know how ridiculous it is to even begin an intelligible conversation on the necessity of the legalization of these dangerous drugs.
Point two, you say legalizing these banned substances would lessen the drag on our judicial system, which is true, but wouldn't becoming lax on any of our standards we have set for society do the same thing? Are you going to argue next that we SHOULD legalize drunk driving, or lower the age of accountability and set free some perverts, or legalize larceny under the "finders keepers losers weepers" rule?
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So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.