TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa police say they have arrested a woman who was inside a secure area outside an arena set to host President Donald Trump’s first campaign rally during the coronavirus pandemic.
The woman was seen Saturday on live video sitting cross-legged on the ground in peaceful protest when officers pulled her away by the arms and later put her in handcuffs. She said her name was Sheila Buck and that she was from Tulsa.
As officers put handcuffed her, Buck said they were hurting her and told them to stop. She was wearing a T-shirt that said “I Can’t Breathe” — the dying words of George Floyd, whose death has inspired a global push for racial justice.
Buck said she had a ticket to the Trump rally and was told she was being arrested for trespassing. She said she was not part of any organized group.
Police said in a news release the officers tried for several minutes to talk Buck into leaving and that she was taken into custody for obstruction after police were asked by the Trump campaign to remove her from the area.
“Ms. Buck was in an area that is considered a private event area and the event organizer, in this case the Trump campaign, can have people removed at their discretion,” according to the release, which said officers remove people “only at the direction of campaign staff.”
