Ben Bankas can't take a joke



Ben Bankas pondered fascism as he waited for the Cybertruck.

His enemies on the left have branded his comedy “right-wing fascist” bigotry. They’re not entirely wrong: He is right-wing, and his comedy is bigoted. One of his taglines is “I’m racist.” And there’s his Chinese human-monkey hybrid character:

Bankas radiates a kind of unpredictable energy that either offends or enthralls people, as tonight’s crowd would soon discover.

But does that really make him a fascist?

Bankas slumped in a black hoodie on a bench outside the Hampton Inn where he was staying. November darkness had descended over Tulsa, layering the air with an autumn cold.

He sprang up when the metallic shape of my friend’s Cybertruck glided into view. Everyone in the parking lot froze and gawked. A mother yanked her curious child away from the vehicle, muttering about bad people.

“Definitely a Kamala voter,” said Bankas as he slid into the back seat. “Anything Elon does is automatically fascist to liberals, and she is definitely a liberal.”

He immediately began chattering with my two friends, as the official photographers.

Two days earlier, Donald Trump had won the 2024 presidential election. And now Bankas was in Oklahoma, where every county has been Republican since 2000, so people were even happier than normal. In my little town outside Tulsa, people set off fireworks every night for a week.

Bankas, a Canadian, recently moved to Austin, Texas. He was happy with the Trump win. For one, he has a toddler, a little girl, and a baby boy on the way. Liberal nonsense is personal to a family man.

At 32, he feels a growing presence, the itch of fame and its potential, amplified by the buzz from the release of his fourth special, “Elect This."

Early in his career, he was inspired by Trump's statements about how the cure for depression is just working really hard. He thinks about it any time he wants to rest, like earlier that day, when he took an afternoon nap.

Hustle

On the drive to the Loony Bin, Bankas asked about Oklahoma, pulling out tidbits of local culture that would reappear in his set. Any anxieties were offset by the shiny, almost alien presence of the Cybertruck gliding through Tulsa’s quiet streets.

The recent change back to Standard Time made everything darker, just a smidge off-kilter. This intensified when we arrived at the Loony Bin, which occupies the gap between a Halloween store and a Cinergy, with a whiff of Red Lobster.

The crowd in the lobby went quiet as we entered, heads turning nervously, maybe stealing a glimpse of tonight’s headliner.

It’s hard to tell, in part because Bankas, as a persona, radiates a kind of unpredictable energy that either offends or enthralls people, as tonight’s crowd would soon discover.

Stout and forward-tilting, Bankas resembles a warthog of a running back, swift but still fond of a bit of cruelty.

Greenroom

In the greenroom, we raided the beer fridge. Soon, the coffee table succumbed to empty Miller Lights and recording equipment. Within ten minutes, we had to start a tab.

The club owner told us his unbelievable origin story, so traumatic that it was confusing. He and Bankas shared a few winky jokes, but moved on to small talk about various comedians. Later, the owner would complain that he had actually lost money on the show. He probably did, but it was hard to tell what he really meant.

My friends were amazed by how normal Bankas was. One of them kept forgetting that the occasion was a proper interview. To be fair, we all did, and by the end of the night, the waitress at the steakhouse said, “Lord have mercy I’m about to earn my money.”

Thirsty to attack

The only usable part of our interview came before Bankas walked out of the greenroom and onto the stage. A few cigarette breaks, some more beers, lots of pregame pacing — he was calibrating the chemical and physiological equation for a feverish set.

This was his locker room, and he was about to step out into the light and compete. That shakes anyone up.

"It's not always about being funny," he confided. "It’s about not screwing up."

His muffled anxiety made him more likeable, a vulnerability that contrasted sharply with his persona as a flamethrower who lives to offend. Defenses down, he talked about his childhood and his mother.

He mentioned how he played the violin as a kid but quit because he thought it was "gay."

He added, “It was just me and a bunch of Chinese kids, and my parents made me wear stupid sweater vests with a turtleneck.”

Freed of his stuffy winter outfits, he joined the hockey team, “because that's where all the cool kids were.”

Oddly enough, the position he played was left wing. But he also briefly played defense and scored a ton of goals, a dynamic that appears in his comedy: Even when he’s receding, he’s thirsty to attack.

After high school, Bankas played hockey at various levels, including single A, which he described as “just a bunch of people who thought they were gonna go to the NHL and be a**holes.”

He still plays sometimes, but not competitively since college.

Then he said, “I used to sell photocopiers.” He repeated the sentence. And again. After a pause: “I lied on my resume.”

Capacity

Bankas’ opening act was a laid-back and delightful local comedian who also shot video footage at the club. His routine was clean — a lovely performance.

Loony Bin’s room seats 250 people, but that night, only about fifteen showed up. And they were all crowded around the stage.

Bankas peeked out of the greenroom: “Is that everyone?” he asked, then returned to the pre-fight hype session, an iPod in one ear blaring feel-good rap. The warthog was ready to feed.

The set

His entrance song puttered out of the house PA like the horn of a lowrider: “Can’t Take a Joke” by Drake. He paused for a couple of moments, as if he expected the audio quality to improve.

Once onstage, Bankas suppressed an “uh-oh” as the shape of the stage and the angle of the lights and the closeness of the crowd collided with his buzz from beers and Zyns.

His opening joke was more of a hemorrhage than a show-starter: “People have lost some f***ing minds because Trump won! And all the retarded people don't understand what's going on. By all the f***ing dumb women — the female, homosexual part of our society, right? They're all dumb, retarded, gay people and f***ing women that get like 40 abortions before they’re 30 years old.”

It just plopped out like vomit.

He was testing new material, following the recent release of “Elect This.” This should have been a neat moment when the audience gets to witness a comedian honing his craft.

Instead, he got sloppy. He told some great jokes. But the performance lacked flow, and Bankas had no poise.

Usually displaying great timing, with his pauses and sentence fragments, tonight Bankas fumbled through his material, prodding at his iPhone mid-set to scroll through notes. Dead air, marked by the unique silence of people looking down and scrolling.

This kind of set only works if the comedian steps away with an air of humility. “I failed a lot during that set, but I think I made some headway for the next special.”

Instead, Bankas leaned into warthog mode.

Hey, Joe

About 15 minutes in, he abruptly shifted to the audience. He’s known for his crowd work, especially hecklers. But tonight there was no heckling and hardly any crowd. Just a little gathering of friendlies, eager for a laugh on a Thursday night.

So Bankas torched them.

Over the course of his 90-minute set, the mood in the room soured.

Bankas berated a guy, an engineer. For the rest of the show, he didn’t laugh, and his wife occasionally rubbed his back supportively. I spoke with several audience members who felt the same.

Bankas’ meanness seemed like a crutch, a way to distract the crowd from his fumbling. And this approach was incredibly alienating for someone eager to build a giant audience. But he didn’t seem to notice this.

He believes that he should be part of Joe Rogan’s collective of famous comedians. Maybe he should. He mentioned Rogan a lot throughout the night. He actually closed his set by promising to fill the room next time he comes to Tulsa and to bring Joe Rogan with him.

Growing up

Bankas’ vituperative style has roots in hockey locker-room vulgarity and rebellion, which emerged when he attended Harbord Collegiate Institute in Toronto, a school known for the actors, comedians, and academics among its alumni.

His mom was a high school teacher. He threw wild parties at his house.

“The black kids loved it,” Bankas told me. “But they'd also trash … not really my house, but they'd run along cars on my street and just trash every car, and the cops would show up. Everybody was trying to sue my mom.”

His friend Jamal was one of the first people to compliment Bankas’ sense of humor, impressed by Bankas’ willingness to shout the N-word.

Bankas’ early career took him from Toronto’s local comedy clubs to his first professional gig in Sudbury, Ontario, where he performed in a sports bar and spent the night at a Super 8 motel.

Clique

In the polarized ecosystem of modern stand-up comedy, where subtle hints of conservatism used to be cloaked with disclaimers, Joe Rogan’s endorsement of Donald Trump marked a breakthrough. Comedians like Shane Gillis, Theo Von, and Tony Hinchcliffe also played a crucial role.

From the start, Bankas rejected this neutrality, planting himself squarely in the anti-woke camp without a whiff of hesitation or apology.

Bankas doesn’t just poke fun at liberals; he dismantles the “woke” worldview with a sledgehammer and finds humor in the debris. For him, the self-righteousness of progressive culture is a gold mine of contradictions.

These moralists are obsessed with identifying oppressors and victims yet fail to see their own hypocrisy. They denounce wealth but worship celebrity, preach representation while silencing dissent, and demand inclusivity but shame anyone who doesn’t comply with their dogmas.

Something about the way they squeal and whine amuses Bankas. He likes to see how far he can push the boundaries before they spaz.

Take Bankas’ own brief foray into politics. During a run for mayor of Toronto, he donned a rainbow suit and tie on the campaign trail, promising to “make Toronto fun again.”

He ran on a platform of unapologetic offensiveness, an approach that earned him a few hundred votes and the undivided attention of the Toronto Sun. His candidacy was a joke, but it was a joke with teeth. He had brought his anti-woke philosophy from the stage and unleashed it on the real world.

Turn on the lights

Back in the greenroom, Bankas was revved up like a prizefighter who just earned a belt. After a quick meet-and-greet, we all piled back into the Cybertruck and set course to B.J.’s Restaurant & Brewhouse. Bankas hadn’t been there, and I had promised steak. Everything fell apart after that, in an uninteresting way.

But the drive there was peaceful. No jokes, no laughter, just a glide, a drift.

“Turn on the Lights” by Future blared from the speakers. Windows open.

We floated through each quiet silhouette of Tulsa at night. Golf balls of cold air rushed into the Cybertruck. The pale yellow fabric of street lights flashed at us like paparazzi.

Performance review

I think, ultimately, I liked him, but he did make fun of every single person he interacted with all night, including me, repeatedly, with a bravado that I admire.

He wrestles with the offensive-funny ratio I wrote about in my profile of Gavin McInnes.

Offensive comedy is dangerous and beautiful. The more offensive the material, the funnier it has to be, a rule that Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin cemented.

But Bankas constantly risks excess that would make his offensive words hackneyed, much like the brilliant Ricky Gervais.

Bankas is an incendiary comedian with a talent for crowd work, but he’s still a few steps away from takeoff. It’s time for his comedy to mature. What his performance lacks most is storytelling. He needs to build scenes, characters, and anecdotes. Not by softening his approach, but by grounding it. A strong offensive joke doesn’t just shock; it spotlights the human condition.

From there, if he’s lucky, Bankas can become a philosopher-king like Chappelle, Burr, Carlin, and their ilk.

Of course, plenty of talented comics never make this move. Stephen Wright, Dimetri Martin, Mitch Hedberg, and Rodney Dangerfield all excel with one-two punch blitzkrieg delivery, but even they weave story into their sets.

Punching all around

In a world where liberal and conservative comedians are waging war over who gets to define what’s funny, Bankas’ commitment to punching in every direction reminds us that culture is athletic, something we have to engage with and perform.

The left wants Bankas to be held accountable; the right wants to claim him as its own, but Bankas resists either label, for the most part.

As a provocateur, his persona thrives in the tension between the audience’s expectations and his own refusal to cater to them. His persona doesn’t want applause; he wants the visceral response, the kind that shakes people out of their comfort zones.

Comedy has always had a communal aspect, a way of determining who belongs. Laughter is the signal; if you laugh along, you’re in on the joke.

So you either laugh with Bankas, signaling your willingness to challenge boundaries, or you sit stone-faced, unamused, excluded from the insiders’ club. This is the essence of Bankas’ style: communal in its alienation, cannonball architecture.

At a glance, this maneuver looks straightforward. But Bankas is pulling a ton of levers. Imitation is fundamental to his process. Mimicry can easily spike the offensive-funny ratio, especially if the impression features any kind of failing or disfigurement — terrain that Bankas uses for joyrides.

Henri Bergson observed that deformity is funny only when it can be convincingly mimicked by someone who is able-bodied. But this decree takes us right back to beauty of comedy’s paradox: The only comedians who can say “retarded” are the ones who can imitate retardation.

A neighborhood feud, a 5-against-1 physical attack, and a victim who cops say opened fire in self-defense, killing 1 attacker



In what Tulsa, Oklahoma, police are calling a "self-defense homicide" amid a neighborhood feud, about five people on Tuesday evening rushed at and physically attacked a homeowner.

But the victim happened to be armed and opened fire, shooting a pair of attackers, police said — reportedly a father and son. The father later died, KOKI-TV reported.

'It was some guys that kept coming around him, and when he [got] off work they'd be messing with him and stuff like that. Evidently that's what had happened; they did it again, and I told them, 'Y'all don't mess with my brother.'"

Police said they responded to the scene near the 2700 block of North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard around 7 p.m. and found Marco Richardson in a driveway with a gunshot wound. Richardson, 47, later died, KOKI reported.

Another individual — whom the station reported is Richardson's 31-year-old son — also was shot and taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said.

Police said that amid the "ongoing feud between the homeowner and his neighbors," about five people approached a house, rushed the homeowner, and pinned the homeowner against a car and assaulted him. Police said the homeowner "in self-defense" pulled out a pistol and shot Richardson and the other individual, after which the remaining assailants fled the scene.

Image source: Tulsa police

Police said the homeowner cooperated with officers, gave them his gun, and provided a statement to investigators. Police said based on witness statements and evidence collected, no charges were filed against the homeowner. The investigation is ongoing and will be presented to the district attorney's office for final disposition once completed, police added.

Anthony Hall, the homeowner's older brother, spoke to KOKI on camera and said he issued a warning against antagonizing his brother: ”I feel sorry for that family and whatever is going on with them, but I told them not to mess with him. They kept doing it, so it just escalated from there."

The station said police aren't releasing the homeowner's name because he wasn't arrested, but Hall told KOKI he learned about the deadly incident during a phone call.

"It was some guys that kept coming around him, and when he [got] off work they'd be messing with him and stuff like that," Hall recounted to the station. "Evidently that's what had happened; they did it again, and I told them, 'Y'all don't mess with my brother.'"

Police Capt. Richard Meulenberg told KOKI that the homeowner who pulled the trigger did so with "overwhelming odds against him."

Richardson was wounded in the chest and died a short time later at a hospital, the station said.

Hall told KOKI that "I'm not for bad things to happen like that, [but] a person [has] to respect someone in their own dwelling, you know what I mean? You have to respect a person; you can't just run over them."

Meulenberg told the station he advises people to "really understand the law. If you can avoid confrontation with people, that's always best. So unless your absolutely last resort is to defend yourself, try to find other avenues, and try to call us."

- YouTube youtu.be

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Armed homeowner finds intruder in kitchen in middle of night — and lets his gun explain how unwelcome intruder is



An armed homeowner in Oklahoma found an intruder in his kitchen in the middle of the night earlier this week — and promptly let his gun explain how unwelcome the intruder was.

Tulsa police said officers responded around 2:30 a.m. Monday to a shooting at a home near 24th and Sheridan. The homeowner said he and his wife woke up to noises coming from their back door. When the homeowner went to investigate, police said he was surprised to discover a burglar in his kitchen.

Police said the homeowner was interviewed about the incident, and no charges were being filed against him at present.

Police said the homeowner didn’t recognize the intruder, and the individual did not have permission to be in the residence.

With that, the homeowner fired his gun at the suspect, who fled with stolen items from the home, police said.

Authorities added that the wounded suspect ran into the backyard and collapsed. Police said the victims called 911 and waited for police to arrive.

The arriving officer found the wounded burglary suspect in the backyard with burglary tools as well as items taken in connection with his caper, police said.

Authorities said emergency services took the suspect to a hospital, where he was in critical condition. Police said they will provide updates on the suspect's condition upon receipt of more information.

Police said the homeowner was interviewed about the incident, and no charges were being filed against him at present.

Police added that an investigation was proceeding and will be presented to the District Attorney's Office for charges against the intruder.

How are observers reacting?

More than 300 comments have populated the space beneath the Tulsa Police Department's Facebook post about the incident. As you might imagine, commenters seem squarely behind the homeowner's actions. The following are but a few of them:

  • "Stay out of people's houses, and you won’t get hurt," one commenter said. "Good job, homeowner!"
  • "Prayers for recovery of the homeowners. What a violation of privacy and what a dreadful thing to have to do!" another commenter stated. "Prayers for peace and the ability to relax again soon."
  • "Way to go homeowner," another commenter declared. "It’s your right to stand your ground and protect your family. I’m sad for the young man that made that choice to rob someone, but…"

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Woman admits her husband was stealing from truck, questions why owner fatally shot him



A woman has admitted that her husband was stealing from a truck in the middle of the night last week — but she's questioning why the owner fatally shot him.

Police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, are investigating what went down around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday in the area of the 9200 block of East 90th Street, the Broken Arrow Sentinel reported. A report from KOTV-DT indicates the fatal shooting happened near 91st and Mingo.

'He was stealing, and he was getting stuff out of the back of the truck, and me and him had gotten into an argument because I don't do that.'

Blane Hambrick, 39, was seen breaking into a truck and trying to steal items from inside it when two residents of the home came outside to confront him, police told KOTV.

Police said an argument ensued after which the owner of the vehicle shot Hambrick, the station reported.

Police responded to the area and found a black sedan which had been driven upon the curb and come to a stop, the Sentinel said, adding that officers found a male with a gunshot wound to the chest and an unknown female doing chest compressions on him.

The male died after emergency personnel took him to a hospital in critical condition, the paper added.

Detectives took all witnesses and those involved in the incident to headquarters for questioning, the Sentinel said. KOTV said detectives released the two aforementioned residents of the home after questioning them.

'I don't understand why he was shot because there were two men and just him. Why not hold him at gunpoint? Or why not beat him up?'

In the meantime, Hambrick's wife, Rosie Lawson, is mourning her loss and asking questions, KJRH-TV reported. You can view the interview with Lawson here.

"He was stealing, and he was getting stuff out of the back of the truck, and me and him had gotten into an argument because I don't do that," Lawson told KJRH, adding that she wanted nothing to do with it and started to walk away.

Lawson added to the station that "Blane was trying to get into the car, and that's when I saw the shot go off, and I saw the spark of the bullet, and Blane was able to start the car and speed down to me, and he was able to stop for me to get in."

She also told KJRH, "I don't understand why he was shot because there were two men and just him. Why not hold him at gunpoint? Or why not beat him up? Why shoot him and take my kid's dad away?"

Police added to KJRH that they're still putting the pieces of the case together.

"It's a tough investigation, I guess, initially for detectives and DAs," Officer Danny Bean told the station. "They've got to work through this, review all of their statements that they get, and they've got to review video that they have [and] put ... together exactly what happened before they make their decision."

Bean added to KJRH that it will be up to the district attorney's office if any charges are filed in this case.

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Leftist narrative around Dagny Benedict's tragic death begins to crumble under scrutiny



Dagny Benedict was a sophomore at Owasso High School in Tulsa who allegedly identified as "nonbinary." Benedict was involved in an altercation with other students on Feb. 7. The next day, she died unexpectedly.

Democrats and LGBT activists rushed to exploit the 16-year-old student's tragic passing, casting it both as a result of anti-LGBT bullying that supposedly culminated in a fatal fight and Republican policies concerning bathroom use.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), for instance, suggested that the girl died from a "brutal assault" and that the "anti-trans fervor fueled by extreme Republicans across the country is having deadly consequences for our children."

Tori Cooper, a leading campaigner for the LGBT activist group Human Rights Campaign, intimated Benedict was attacked over her "nonbinary" identification. Cooper also pinned blame on so-called "[e]xremist anti-LGBTQ+ hate accounts, like online troll Chaya Raichick, the woman behind 'Libs of Tiktok'" for "perpetuating a vile and hateful narrative that is permitting these types of public attacks."

Despite the confidence with which it has been advanced, the left's preferred narrative has crumbled under scrutiny.

Bodycam footage released Friday by the Owasso Police Department shows Benedict readily admit that she was not the target of violence but rather the initiator of the altercation.

When detailing the alleged bullying a trio of freshman girls subjected her to, Benedict says in the video that they mocked her clothing choice and laughed — making no mention of any anti-LGBT hostilities.

Police have since indicated that Benedict "did not die as a result of trauma," releasing security footage showing Benedict leave the school under her "own power."

The incident

The OPD indicated that a fight took place in a school restroom on Feb 7. It was ultimately broken up by other students and a school staff member who was supervising outside the bathrooms.

All students involved in the altercation "walked under their own power to the assistant principal's office and nurse's office," said police. In the office, school administrators contacted parents and took student statements but apparently refrained from contacting the relevant authorities about the brawl.

The school did, however, have its registered nurse assess the health of all persons involved in the altercation. Despite determining an ambulance was not necessary for Benedict, the nurse recommended the teen visit a medical facility for further examination.

Sue Benedict, the decedent's biological grandmother and guardian, called the Owasso Police Department just after 3:30 p.m. on the day of the incident requesting that an officer respond to Bailey Medical Center concerning an alleged assault that took place at Owasso High School West Campus.

Referring to Dagny Benedict as her "daughter" and employing feminine pronouns in reference to the teen, Sue Benedict indicated she wanted to press charges against the other students involved in the altercation.

In the company of her guardian at the hospital, Dagny Benedict told an officer that after stacking chairs around 1 p.m., she and her friend went to the nearby bathroom. Security footage appears to show six girls enter the bathroom in short succession ahead of the incident.

"I was talking to my friend. They were talking with their friends, and we were laughing, and they had said something like, 'Why do they laugh like that?'" Benedict told the officer. "And they were talking about us in front of us. And so I went up there and poured water on them."

Benedict confirmed to the officer that she had used a water bottle to soak the other girls who in turn allegedly responded with force.

"They came at me. They grabbed at my hair. I grabbed onto them. I threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser, and then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground," continued Benedict.

The officer suggested that by virtue of Benedict having allegedly started the fight, pressing charges might not have resulted in a cut-and-clear victory.

OPD 2024-3316 Community Releaseyoutu.be

The next day, Owasso Fire Department medics were called to the scene of a medical emergency involving Benedict.

Sue Benedict noted in her 911 call that the teen's eyes were rolled backward, she was breathing shallowly, and both her hands were curled. Sue Benedict also made passing mention of the use of anxiety medication but suggested the teen was not on any medication at the moment.

The teen was taken to St. Francis Pediatric Emergency Center in Tulsa where she later died. Her funeral was held on Feb. 15.

The OPD stressed after Benedict's death that it was investigating the incident "thoroughly" and looking for possible evidence of felony murder.

While the OPD initially indicated it was unclear whether the medical emergency was related to the Feb. 7 incident, police noted on Feb. 21 that preliminary autopsy results found that Benedict "did not die as a result of trauma." The OPD did note, however, that "any further comments on the cause of death are currently pending until toxicology results and other ancillary testing results are received."

Owaso Public Schools released the following statement: "The Owasso Police Department has notified district leaders of the death of an Owasso High School student. The student's name and cause of death have not yet been made public. As this is an active police investigation, we will have no additional comment at this time. Further inquiries should be directed to the Owasso Police Department."

Purposing tragedy

The possibilities that Benedict's tragic end had nothing to do with hate and possibly nothing to do with an altercation between the high-school girls she allegedly provoked have not gotten in the way of activists making the most out of their preferred narrative.

Freedom Oklahoma, an LGBT activist group, said in a statement using the teen's nickname, "We know that Nex Benedict, the student who died, faces being deadnamed and misgendered in death, after a horrific attack that killed Nex, possibly because of Nex's TGNC+ identity."

Freedom Oklahoma hedged its bets, adding, "[W]hether Nex died as a direct result of injuries sustained in the brutal hate-motivated attack at school or not, Nex's death is a result of being the target of physical and emotional harm because of who Nex was."

The Human Rights Campaign — which has joined Freedom Oklahoma in painting Chaya Raichik as a key villain in the story of Benedict's demise — claimed, "Nex's death also comes at a time when extremist politicians have weaponized trans and gender-expansive identities for political gain, stoking hate and discrimination through their vile rhetoric."

Tactfully campaigning off the incomplete story of Benedict's death, the HRC stressed, "We must demand better from our elected officials and reject harmful anti-transgender legislation at the local, state and federal levels, while also considering every possible way to make ending this violence a reality."

The Independent published a piece titled, "Oklahoma banned trans students from bathrooms. Now Nex Benedict is dead after a fight at school." In the piece, Benedict's grandmother claimed that the decedent became the target of bullying after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) ratified legislation requiring students to use bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex.

KABC-TV was one of the many media outfits to further insinuate a link between Republican policies pushing back against radical social constructivism in schools and Benedict's death.

Against the backdrop of the teen's untimely death, KABC highlighted how Stitt has "banned the use of nonbinary gender markers on IDs, restricted gender-affirming care for trans youth and banned transgender girls from participating in girls' sports," intimating a possible connection.

On Saturday, a few hundred LGBT activists flocked to Oklahoma City to remember Benedict and use her death for political purposes.

Bryan Paddock, one of the co-founders of Rural Oklahoma Pride, told the Oklahoman, "This is us taking a stand for that person as well as our community. We need change in Oklahoma. We need change in the United States. That youth was not protected as they should have been and there's so much legislation out there that is seeking to erase or dispose of our community."

Students at Owasso High School staged a walkout Monday in protest of a supposedly pervasive culture of bullying they have been led to believe resulted in Benedict's death, reported NBC News.

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Victim 'miraculously' expected to survive having a flagpole planted in his head by convict — but may lose an eye



The victim of a brutal attack Wednesday in Oklahoma "miraculously" survived a flagpole through his head, but is expected to lose one eye.

According to the Tulsa Police Department, officers responded to the Sonic Drive-In on 81st Street South around 7:30 p.m. following reports of a stabbing.

They arrived to find a man with a flagpole planted in his head, still flying the Stars and Stripes.

Police indicated the pole had pierced the victim's head "beneath his jaw and exited the other side of his head near his right temple area."

Witnesses claimed they saw Clinton Collins charge the victim with the flagpole, then thrust it through his head.

Collins allegedly said, "That's what he gets. He deserved it."

TPD officer Danny Bean told KJRH-TV, "Like you’d see in a TV show or a horror movie, ran at him and stabbed him through the head. ... Went through the bottom and out through the other side."

Tulsa firefighters reportedly had to cut off a section of the flagpole in order to fit the conscious victim inside the ambulance.

The TPD said the victim is expected to "miraculously" survive his injuries, "but will likely lose an eye."

Collins, reportedly a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, hung around until police arrived on the scene. He was arrested for allegedly maiming after former conviction of a felony, which could land him with more than life in prison.

Tulsan Tristen Catlin told KJRH that over the weekend, she saw a preview of what was to come at the Tulsa Hills shopping center.

"As we pull in, we just see him charge at the man who was sitting on the ground by the McDonald's," said Catlin.

The man she suspected may have been Collins was "doing a stabbing action over and over and the guy stood up and was trying to get him to go away," said Catlin.

Catlin indicated she was shocked to see the same man in the news days later and to learn that he had allegedly followed through with his threat.

The Associated Press reported that owing to Collins' Indian status and a 2020 Supreme Court ruling barring Oklahoma prosecutors from pursuing criminal cases against tribal citizens in various parts of the state, it is presently unclear whether he will be tried in tribal court or U.S. District Court.

The U.S. District Court in Oklahoma had reportedly not listed a case against the suspect as of Thursday afternoon.

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Truck driver spots police in hot pursuit of a suspect and decides to cut the chase short



Tulsa police were spared a lengthy foot chase Thursday after a bystander decided to lend a hand and some brute force.

According to the Tulsa Police Department, officers approached a couple near 8th and Denver Avenue for questioning.

In bodycam footage of the encounter, it appears as though the young man, later identified as Miguel Hernandez, gave a false name: "David."

Had he given his real name, police would have made quick work of connecting it to felony warrants for burglary, conspiracy, larceny, and illegal firearm possession out of Rogers County, Oklahoma.

"David, if you wanna have a seat right here for me please," said the officer, indicating the curb and waiting on the elderly woman who had been with Hernandez to produce some identification.

The elderly woman fired a confused look toward the officer upon hearing the false moniker, noting that "David" was not Hernandez's name.

Upon being exposed, Hernandez meandered slowly over to the curbside, then bolted full-tilt across the four-lane road.

Once the suspect had a proper head start, the officers gave chase, crossing the Denver Avenue and trailing him at a distance up the sidewalk on the far side.

It's unclear who ultimately would have won the footrace because up ahead, the driver of a black truck who had just pulled over decided he'd cut things short.

The driver was hard to miss, given his bright orange shirt, and proved even harder to evade. He squared off with his arms ready to grapple or tackle as the suspect closed in.

The suspect attempted a last-second feint, but the driver still managed to wrap him and bring him to the ground.

Hernandez yelled as he went down, "Why you do me like that, homie?"

As soon as the officer made contact, the unnamed driver relinquished his hold on the suspect, then sauntered back to his truck as if nothing had happened.

According to the TPD, extra to his previous felony warrants, Hernandez was also arrested for resisting arrest and for possession of drug paraphernalia.

The department noted on Facebook, "We love our citizens and greatly appreciate all the support that we get from you, this was definitely a case of 110% support. Please put your own safety first before engaging with any nefarious characters."

Watch the encounter here:

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Republican senator challenges union boss to a cage fight



A Republican senator and a union boss exchanged heated remarks in a Senate hearing this past March. Now — if there is any bite to the teamster's bark — there's a chance the two might exchange blows in the octagon.

What's the background?

During a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on March 8, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) struck a nerve, intimating that while Sean O'Brien, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, makes close to $200,000 a year, he doesn't bring much "to the table."

Mullin asked the teamster boss, "What do you bring for that salary? ... What job have you created?"

O'Brien suggested the senator was "out of line," then proceeded to call him a "greedy CEO" and accused him of hiding money while running his plumbing company.

Despite sporadic efforts on the part of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to intervene, Mullin hit back at O'Brien, saying, "You think you're smart? You think you're funny? You're not," intimating that the committee witness' combative testimony hinted at the kind of intimidation honest union workers routinely suffer at the hands of teamsters.

Markwayne Mullin Goes Nuclear On Labor Leader In Fiery Hearing On Unions youtu.be

Title fight

After stewing for months, O'Brien took to Twitter on June 21 to accuse Mullin of being "full of sh**," adding, "The more you run your mouth, the more you show the American public what a moron you are."

O'Brien proceeded to repeat his March comments, calling the Oklahoma senator a "Greedy CEO who pretends like he's self made" and a "clown."

The teamster boss went so far as to suggest his openness to fisticuffs, tweeting, "You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy."

Mullin, a Cherokee father of six and undefeated former MMA fighter, accepted the teamster's challenge, letting him know he had three days to agree to turn his typing hands into fists.

"An attention-seeking union Teamster boss is trying to be punchy after our Senate hearing. Okay, I accept your challenge," wrote Mullin. "MMA fight for charity of our choice. Sept 30th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ll give you 3 days to accept."

— (@)

A history of violence

According to Sherdog.com, Mullin won all three of his professional MMA fights in the middleweight class, despite a shoulder injured in his youth.

In November 2006, he won an Xtreme Fighting League bout against Bobby Kelley by submission with a rear-naked choke in 46 seconds.

In February 2007, he took out Clinton Bonds in an XFL SuperBrawl match by submission. He faced Bonds again in April 2007 and defeated him in 1:27 with a total knockout, ensured with punches.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame indicated that "Mullin did whatever it took to wrestle through elementary and middle school, including switching schools four times after the school he was attending canceled its wrestling program."

In a well-timed Spectator profile released Monday, Ben Domenech suggested that the "veins on Mullin’s arms are the first thing you notice. He’s not built like a senator, he’s built like a man who could leap off the top rope and drive you into the mat. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation, the first Native American in the Senate since the retirement of Colorado’s Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2005."

Domenech continued, "Ripped, bearded, with a belt buckle the size of a hubcap and a Stetson worn as if he’s had it on since the womb, he looks like Rip Wheeler from Yellowstone’s more ab-focused brother," adding, Mullin is the "most mercurial and unknown member of the Senate."

O'Brien has an opportunity to get to know the allegedly unknown senator a whole lot better.

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Oklahoma gas station employee wanted to go home early, so he asked someone to rob him at work: Police



An Oklahoma gas station employee wanted to leave work early, so he asked someone to rob his store, according to police.

Police responded to a robbery at a gas station convenience store in Tulsa on June 5.

Isaias Jones, the store clerk, allegedly told police that a masked man walked into the convenience store and handed him a note that read: "Give me all your money or I will shoot you." Jones reportedly told police that he complied with the thief and handed over the money from the store's cash register.

Tulsa Police Department identified the alleged robber as Steven Jones – no relation to the gas station clerk. The suspect was arrested on June 8. He admitted that he had robbed the store, but he claimed that his friend had invited him to rob the store.

Alyia Locke, a mutual friend of both men, allegedly asked Jones to rob the gas station store at the behest of the gas station worker.

The Tulsa Police Department said in a statement, "She confessed to setting up the robbery. Locke also provided text messages from Isaias Jones asking for someone to rob the store so he could leave early."

The store clerk was arrested and reportedly told detectives that he asked "Locke to find someone to rob the store because he was tired and wanted to go home," police said.

Isaias Jones purportedly paid Locke after the crime was committed.

Isaias Jones was charged with embezzlement and conspiracy to commit a felony. Steven Jones was charged with conspiracy to commit embezzlement and possession of a firearm after a former conviction of a felony. Alyia Locke was arrested for an outstanding warrant and could also face charges of embezzlement.

The Tulsa Police Department quipped, "Our human resources department, and likely every H.R. department in the world would like to advise people that this is not the recommended way to leave work early."

Both men were reportedly released on bond, but Locke remains in the Tulsa County Jail.

Video: QuikTrip clerk asks friend to rob store so he could "go home early" www.youtube.com

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Victims in execution-style Oklahoma slayings were targeted because they were white​: Police



The brutal murder of two innocent men in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month was initially thought to have been random, but prosecutors now suspect the black male who claimed responsibility had chosen his victims because they were white.

The shooting rampage

61-year-old Carlton Gilford marched into Rudisill Library on North Hartford the morning of April 18 and fatally shot 35-year-old Lundin Hatchcock in the back of the head, according to police.

Hatchcock was sitting at a computer desk, minding his own business.

The victim's mother told KOTV-TV that her son was a selfless husband who had strong faith, loved God, and had a passion for helping other people, calling his slaying "a tragedy."

Kirby Ellis, the victim's cousin, indicated Hatchcock was well liked and stressed, "Nobody deserves to go through that."

The 35-year-old's killer was evidently not done violently expressing his racial hatred.

Police indicated that Gilford then drove to the nearby QuikTrip gas station and shot 55-year-old James McDaniel in the face — a grievous crime reportedly captured on surveillance cameras.

According to investigators, after McDaniel had collapsed to the ground, Gilford reloaded his weapon and shot him in the head again.

After executing McDaniel, Gilford reportedly shot at a security guard inside the convenience store, who ultimately got out unscathed.

Eye witness Carol Starks told KJRH, "I heard pop, pop and saw people coming out of the QuikTrip. They were scared to death I guess because the shooter just shot the guy in the back of the head in there and didn't know if he was going to shoot at them either."

Police captured Gilford without incident. He was taken to a hospital for what Tulsa World indicated was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, but is no longer in critical condition.

The Tulsa Police Department indicated Tuesday that there was no connection between the victims and the suspect.

Anti-white motivation

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler indicated that Hatchock and McDaniel were targeted because they were white, reported KOTV.

"The information suggests that race played a role in it and I feel like that is something we can prove, and it is something that a judge or jury obviously needs to listen to. So we will present that information along with everything else," said Kunzweiler.

Extra to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill, Tulsa County prosecutors hit Gilford with Oklahoma's version of a hate crime charge, referred to as "malicious intimidation or harassment because of race."

While Gilford admitted to police that he shot the victims, it is presently unclear if he similarly confessed his motivations.

Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin did, however, tell Fox 23, "Our investigation has led us to the fact that, yes he did target those individuals and sought them out because of their skin color."

Gilford is being held without bond. His preliminary hearing is set for June 23.

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