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BARE BONES FILM-MUSIC FESTIVALS 25TH ANNIVERSARY
WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE-LEGENDS OF MUSKOGEE
HISTORIC STREET SIGNS OF MUSKOGEE
PILLAR ART & ARTIST PRESERVATION
FALLEN OFFICERS-MUSKOGEE COUNTY
MURALS-STATUES-MONUMENTS OF MUSKOGEE
LEGACYKEEPERSRUS HONOREE RECAP 2021-2024
2024 LEGACYKEEPERSRUS AWARDS BRUNCHEON
2023 LEGACYKEEPERSRUS-AWARDS BRUNCHEON
SNOOP DOGG FOOTBALL LEAGUE
2022 LEGACYKEEPERS-R-US HONOREES
2022 LEGACYKEEPERSRUS PROGRAM BOOK
LEGEND-XERONA CLAYTON SPEAKS
2021 LEGACYKEEPERSRUS HONOREES
2021 POSTHUMOUS HONOREES
LEGACYKEEPERSRUS HONOREE RECAP 2017-2020
2023-WESTCOAST LEGACYKEEPERSRUS HONOREES
ON THE SCENE-WESTCOAST
2022 WESTCOAST LEGACYKEEPERSRUS HONOREES
2021-WESTCOAST LEGACYKEEPERSRUS HONOREES
BASS REEVES LEGACY PRESERVATION
FILMED HISTORY-LEGENDS
LEGACYKEEPERS CEMETERY RESTORATION CREW
MUSKOGEE COUNTY CEMETERIES and CARETAKERS ASSOCIATION
UNMARKED GRAVESITE-GREENHILL PROJECT

LEGACY PROJECT: PRESERVATION OF MURALS-MARKERS-MONUMENTS & STATUES-MUSKOGEE PUBLIC ARTS

Be sure to explore additional information about these murals, statues, monuments and markers.

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3 RIVERS MUSEUM-2ND STREET LOOKING NORTH MURAL:

The last tour of duty for Legendary Lawman BASS REEVES after serving 32 years as a U.S. Deputy Marshall in Indian Territory.Statue depicting his 2 years walking a beat as a Muskogee Police Officer 1907-1909.
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310 SOUTH 3RD STREET-ON THE SIDE OF THE BREAK COFFEEHOUSE: COWGIRL MURAL by Artist Leah Payne.

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6TH STREET & DENISON-MURAL

Lance Hunter painted this mural on the Head Start building at Sixth and Denison in Muskogee, OK. The mural is titled "Our Future", features a Musician Physician, Scholar and Firefighter.

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420 MAIN:

Merle Haggard & Bob Marley mural in Muskogee,by artist Jeremiah Lovato

"WE DO SMOKE MARIJUANA IN MUSKOGEE"

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12TH & BROADWAY-West side of the GADDY DRUGSTORE

Lance Hunter created a beautiful COCA-COLA mural featuring Vintage Neon, Old Signs, Advertising Signs, On The Side, Vintage Signs, Old And New, Oklahoma, shows a young woman holding a tray with two old-style Coca-Cola glasses and two pink azaleas. Considered a gateway to historic Founders Place.

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FOSTERING HOPE MURAL BROADWAY & 9TH STREET

Local Artists included Sadler Arts Academy students who came together to create a mural that brings awareness to the children in the state hoping to find a foster home or an adoptive family. It also will be a place where siblings can have visits.

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MAIN BTWN COURT & BROADWAY-A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE ARTIST ROGER DAVIS.

Bob Palmer of Oklahoma City's Bob Palmer Studios, the mural depicts galloping wild horses. The mural can easily be seen by southbound motorists on Main.

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ALTAMONT & HOWARD:

SADLER ARTS ACADEMY'S renovation included dedicating part of its gymnasium as the Historic MTHS Alumni Center. The center features part of the bleachers. One wall features Manual Training High School yearbook photos superimposed over the school song.

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NORTH 2ND & WALL STREETS-NEIGHBORS BUILDING NEIGHBORHOODS

Artist Leah Payne spent several months painting this colorful mural.

It was created in honor of Sarah Turner,a dedicated arts patron in the community who loved everything to do with birds, especially birdwatching. The mural displays Turner's favorite bird, a Kingfisher.

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BLANK WALL MURAL READY!

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HISTORIC MARKER UNION AGENCY:

The Union Agency was established in 1874 when federal officials consolidated the responsibilities of individual agents for the Five Civilized Tribes into one office in Muskogee. The agent and his two clerks were responsible for over 26.5 million acres of land and 55,000 American Indians. The Union Agency now houses the Five Civilized Tribes Museum.

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JEFFERSON HIGHWAY DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE-SPAULDING PARK
EAST SIDE BLVD & OKMULGEE ST.

This Jefferson Highway Sign can be viewed in Muskogee Oklahoma. The mileage comes from an original Jefferson Highway guide book. It was put up during the Jefferson Highway Centennial Conference in 2015.

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US Route 62 BRIDGE:

Crossing the Arkansas River, connecting Muskogee with Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, now named the BASS REEVES MEMORIAL BRIDGE in his honor. Pictured with the Bass Reeves Legacy Troupe.

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TULLAHASSEE'S HISTORIC BEAR THOMPSON RODEO ARENA

The Bear Thompson Rodeo Arena is a venue where rodeos and other events were held, and was the result of a dream shared by the Thompson brothers of Tullahassee.
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AREA 37 IN GREENHILL CEMETERY MARKER:

IN MEMORY OF THE COLORED SECTION of 50+ people of color left without headstones or markers after 1907. Many unknowns are also buried in this section next to the new Pavillion. Two sons of U.S. Deputy Marshal BASS REEVES are among those listed.

Bass Reeves, Jr. age 14 in 1901 and Homer Reeves, age 21 in 1903.

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MASONIC TRINITY LODGE #84-MILITARY & 24TH:

Prince Hall Masonry. The oldest organization in America founded for black men by black men.

Early influential African American leader Prince Hall was an American abolitionist and leader in the free black community in Boston. He founded "Prince Hall Freemasonry" and lobbied for education rights for African American children.

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HISTORIC MUSCOGEE CREEK BLACK INDIAN SETTLEMENT

The town of Tullahassee was established in 1850, taking its name from the nearby Tullahassee Mission.

The area around the Tullahassee Mission was home to many Creek Freedmen who settled there after the Civil War. As the population of Freedmen increased in the area, the Creek Nation population began declining. On October 24, 1881, the Creek Nation council voted to turn the town of Tullahassee over to the Freedmen.

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OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE MARKER-OK MUSIC HALL OF FAME-3RD & ELGIN

"Proud to be an Okie from Muskogee" song was interpreted as both leftist satire and right-wing patriotic fervor, the song reflected social divides in the US during the late 1960s.

Named #1 Country song by the CMT, the song also inspired ironic counterculture covers by the Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, and Flaming Lips and earned Haggard many music industry awards. One of the 1st to be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

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5TH & DENISON: LegacyKeepersrus renewed historical Marker

FIRST MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH is a community-focused religious organization that provides spiritual guidance and support to its members. The church was built in 1903 and was the first church building for the African-American population of Muskogee County.

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HISTORIC BLACK CEMETERY-MUSKOGEE, OK HWY 69 & HILLTOP

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON CEMETERY, named after Booker Taliaferro Washington,an American educator, author, and orator. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the primary leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite. Visited and praised Muskogee's Black Wall Street-2nd Street in early 1900s.

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WEST ENTRANCE TO HISTORICAL BACONE INDIAN COLLEGE- MURROW CHILDREN'S HOME & SOARING EAGLE GIFT SHOP.

Murrow Indian Children's Home has been providing care to Native American children with support from American Baptist Home Mission Societies and its predecessor organizations for more than a century.

The mission of the home is to provide a safe, nurturing environment, spiritual foundation and cultural experiences to Native American children. The home's gift shop allows visitors to buy authentic and traditional art, household items, clothing, jewelry, shoes and games.

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HISTORIC HOME MARKER NORTH 3RD STREET:

Nathaniel King, Jr. was born on December 20th, 1922 to Leearn Holland and Nathaniel King, Sr., of Muskogee, OK.
Daughter Rodslen King Brown was a traditional Cherokee artist, tireless public servant and dedicated advocate for the Cherokee Freedmen and was the catalyst for getting this homestead registered with the Muskogee Historic Comission.

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MARKER OF FOOTBALL FIELD NAMED IN HONOR OF FORMER CITY COUNCILMAN AND VICE MAYOR ROBERT PERKINS. HATBOX COMPLEX

Paul Young Fooball league, coaching and mentoring by Robert Perkins and sons. The Paul Young Football League has set its tone for being a certified and proven league over the last five decades.

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FORMER HANGAR OF NATHAN SAMS FLYING SERVICE. LOCATED IN HATBOX FIELD.

Sams, of Muskogee, joined the Civilian Flight Training Program before the U.S. entered World War II. In 1941, he helped train the Tuskegee airmen during his time as a flight instructor in Alabama. Sams logged 22,000 flight hours and was an FAA-designated examiner and accident prevention specialist.

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HATBOX FIELD:

The airport was initially used as a flying circus and gets it final name thanks to a pilot saying the hangers resembled a bunch of lady's hatboxes from the air.

Notable pilots who visited Hatbox Field included the Red Comet Grange, four around-the-world flyers, in November 1924. Charles A. Lindbergh arrived on October 1, 1927, as part of his cross-country tour following his solo trans-Atlantic flight. Amelia Earhart made an impromptu visit in September 1928. Laura Ingalls set a world record for the number of loop-de-loops at the airfield's rededication on May 26, 1930.

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MARKER FOR LEGENDARY DR. LELIA FOLEY DAVIS-TAFT OKLAHOMA:

In 1973 the All-Black town of Taft, Oklahoma, elected Lelia Foley-Davis to the office of mayor, making her the nation's first elected woman African American mayor. This accomplishment eventually led the young officeholder to confer with two U.S. presidents, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

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MONUMENT-SPAULDING PARK-TRIBUTE TO LITTLE SISTER LIBERTY

The Boy Scouts of America dedicated this replica of the Statue of Liberty as a pledge of everlasting fidelity and loyalty in 1950.

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MONUMENT TO LEGENDARY CASSANDRA GAINES-MUSKOGEE CIVIC CENTER PAVILLION-4TH & OKMULGEE

Cassandra Gaines will long be remembered for her service, leadership and many contributions to the Muskogee community and the State of Oklahoma.

Cassandra Gaines, known as the Queen of Soul Food Cooking, takes soul food to another level. Creator of MOMMA C'S cookbook & restaurant.

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LOCAL ARTIST M.ARTIST TAYLOR-ICONIC GUITAR ART/HISTORY-BANCFIRST INSTALLATION:

LOWELL FULSON-Born on March 31, 1921, in Tulsa to parents of Choctaw and African American descent, blues musician Lowell Fulson grew up around Ada, Oklahoma, where his grandfather played violin and two of his uncles played guitar. FULSON was a big-voiced blues guitarist and songwriter who became one of the leading figures of the West Coast's pivotal postwar blues scene.

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THE MUSKOGEE HOTEL WITH ICONIC NEON SIGN:BROADWAY & MAIN

This 1925 Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

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HISTORIC BACONE INDIAN COLLEGE:

Seven-foot-tall statue of a Chickasaw warrior by Enoch Kelly Haney, alumnus of the college on whose campus it stands.

Named Gus by the students.

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BEDOUIN SHRINER'S STATUE 6TH & BOSTON.

Depicting charity works for children. Working to support our community and our hospitals.

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MCENTEE DIAMONDS SIGN-3RD & BROADWAY:

This beautifully restored sign in downtown Muskogee, OK, received the Downtown Mainstreet Best Sign award in 2009.

The black metal sign with neon tubing and diamond design has been projected from the Surety Building for over 90 years. After four generations of family ownership, the jewelry store closed over 30 years ago. Martha Griffin restored this landmark sign and incurred the expense herself as a gift to the community.

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ICONIC WELCOME TO MUSKOGEE MARKER. "OKIES FROM MUSKOGEE" WITH BARE BONES INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER LEAPING FOR JOY.

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3 RIVERS MUSEUM ELGIN & 2ND ST.

Commemorating the first known mention in US history of Girl Scouts baking and selling cookies to raise funds to support their troop activities and, it all started right here in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1917 with the Mistletoe Girl Scout Troop.

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ELLIOTT PARK MONUMENT-ALTAMONT & HIGHTOWER ST
A LEGACYKEEPERSRUS PROJECT (2017)

In honor of Tollie Julio T.J.Elliott & Mrs.Willa A. Elliott. T.J. was a prominent businessman who knew Booker T. Washington well. He owned a clothing store that newspapers described as being outfitted with marble floors and chandeliers. T.J. was really significant in that he spearheaded creating this umbrella of businesses, including office buildings, a hotel, a theater, a bank. They had 300 acres of land and a department store, the first one in Muskogee. ELLIOTT was involved with the business around the state and known as the "Merchant Prince." He had the exclusive rights to sell Stetson hats in that part of the state, so his clientele was Black, White, and Native American.

In 1935, 29 acres were first turned into a swimming pool & park for African American children by his wife Willa & members of the MATRONS SOCIETY of LADIES.

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FORT CANTONMENT DAVIS (1861-62)

Established to serve as a Confederate headquarters in Indian Territory and named in honor of Jefferson Davis, the post was located on the south bank of the Arkansas River 2 ½ miles northeast of present-day Muskogee, Oklahoma.

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YOUNGER'S BEND:

Final resting place of the Outlaw BELLE STARR.

It is thought that the bend is named for Cole Younger who served in the Civil War as a member of Quantrill's Raiders and operated in this area 1862-64. After the war, Cole Younger and his brothers would join Frank and Jesse James to form the James-Younger Gang.
DR. RON HOOD AND HIS WIFE DONNA restored the gravesite and also built a replica of the Starr cabin.

Although visited by many other famous Outlaws of the time, Younger's Bend is best known as the home of Sam and Belle Starr 1880-1889. Both lived here until the separate events of their untimely deaths. It remains the quiet final resting place of Belle Starr.

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SPAULDING PARK: LITTLE SISTER LIBERTY STATUE

A Mini Statue of Liberty, erected by the Boy Scouts in the 1950s, now stands as a water feature in Spaulding Park.

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MONUMENT IN HONOR OF TUSKEGEE AIRMAN DR. ROBERT C. SMITH, MD BOOKER T. WASHINGTON CEMETERY-HWY 69 & FERN MTN ROAD

Dr. Smith graduated from Tuskegee University in 1945 as a Flight Officer. Graduated from University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 1956 and established his General Practice office in 1959.

Dr. Smith was known as the best "diagnostician" around and ran a successful medical practice right up til his death.

Pictured: Legacykeepersrus Founder:ShIronbutterfly
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Re-enactor for the 1st & 2nd wives of Lawman Bass Reeves

LEGACYKEEPERSRUS MONUMENT PROJECT:

In honor of Reeve's sons: Bass Jr. 1901 & Homer in 1903 buried in Area 37 in City owned GREENHILL CEMETERY.

Legendary lawman Bass Reeves, one of the first Black men to be named deputy U.S. marshal in Indian Territory, a hero to so many. From being born into slavery to apprehending more than 4,000 outlaws and becoming, perhaps, the greatest lawman of the wild West era.

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MUSKOGEE CIVIC CENTER 4TH ST & BOSTON:

MERLE HAGGARD STATUE invites you to stop and sit with him where he and Eddie Burris wrote THE NOW FAMOUS "PROUD TO BE AN OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE" written when they started joking around after seeing a highway sign for Muskogee.

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BASS REEVES GRAVE-MONUMENT: 3 RIVERS MUSEUM

In honor of his 32 years as a U.S. Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory and Texas and his final 2 years as a Muskogee Police Officer.

ACTUAL GRAVESITE IS UNDISCLOSED & UNREACHABLE.

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MUSKOGEE ART GUILD-MUSKOGEE CIVIC CENTER:

In 2008 the Muskogee Art Guild made drawings for the tiles depicting scenes of Muskogee's past and present for the Leadership Muskogee Graduating Class XIII placed along each corner of the parking structures.

In 2022, Artists (Watson,Payne & Anderson) refurbished a few pillars and created new artwork on the rest which can now be seen on each corner of the Muskogee Civic Center.

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ROXY THEATER-NEON MARQUEE:

Originally opened in 1948 as a movie theater, the ROXY re-opened in August 2001 as a multi-purpose venue. With a seating capacity of 300, the ROXY is an ideal venue for Movie Festivals, Private Parties, Events, Concerts, Movie Showings, Beauty Pageants, Professional Touring Acts or Local Talent Showcases.

Visitors and locals are beckoned to stop and take a photo with it. Headquarters of the BARE BONES INTERNATIONAL FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL RED CARPET EVENTS since 2002.

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SPAULDING PARK EAST SIDE BLVD & OKMULGEE AVE.

A statue of a girl being pushed on a swing by her father. These are just a few of the memories of Spaulding Park.

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MUSKOGEE CENTENNIAL-1872-1972 TIME CAPSULE OPENED IN 1997
CONTAINS VARIOUS MEMENTOS.

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MONUMENT-MUSKOGEE'S FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE:

Officially, the organization is focused on service, protecting the interests of American law enforcement officers while also advocating for safer communities.

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PORT OF MUSKOGEE'S-THREE FORKS HARBOR-HWY 62 BRIDGE

Located at River Mile 392.2 of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, near the confluence of the Arkansas, Verdigris and Grand Rivers, Three Forks Harbor offers the boating public its most-inland all-weather access to the nation's waterways and sea ports of the world and much more!

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LITTLE SERVICEMEN SALUTE LADY LIBERTY:BATFISH RD

Miniature soldiers, representing all branches of the U.S. Military, salute a miniature Statue of Liberty. More memorable than most Lady Liberty tributes. A "Walk of Honor" memorializing Oklahoma veterans is also at the Muskogee War Memorial Park.



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"SPIRIT OF THE AMERICAN DOUGHBOY" STATUE-1011 Honor Heights Drive-Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center

On Sept. 5, 1925,the hospital erected a Spirit of the American Doughboy statue near the south entrance to recognize Native American Veterans who fought in World War I. Our statue recognizes the contributions of Veterans from the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, Cherokee and Creek nations.

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WORLD WAR II ARTILLERY

Piece is publicly displayed at Okmulgee Steet's south entrance to Honor Heights Park & the Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

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ROTARY CLUB OF MUSKOGEE-"SERVICE ABOVE SELF" FRONT ENTRANCE TO MUSKOGEE CIVIC CENTER ON OKMULGEE ST.

The Muskogee Rotary Club in it's 100th Anniversary repaired and rededicated the centennial clock tower to the city. It is now showing correct time.

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EBON SEKOU LURKS

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Sekou Lurks' family called him Cookie. He was the one who made everybody else laugh. He was the youngest of Hattie Lurks' four children. "I really spoiled him, he was kinda like a momma's boy." That's why Hattie Lurks begged her son not to help the FBI go after drug dealers. But, he said the money helped support his young sons and he was doing it for good, not because he had too. The US Attorney said,"This kid is not a snitch, he was a cooperating witness. He was not under the thumb of the law. He was just trying to help by providing information." In fact, Sekou helped police arrest a number of major crack dealers.

But Sekou was murdered before he could testify. Someone lured Sekou out of him home on January 28th, 1998, and then shot him three times with a shotgun. He ran, but only made it 75 feet before he died.

LOCATED IN FRONT OF MUSKOGEE POLICE DEPARTMENT
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