Tulsa Mayor Announces 'Operation Bridges Of Faith'

Tulsa mayor Dewey Bartlett and his wife announced a new plan Tuesday to help children in the north side of town. It's called Operation Bridges of Faith.

Bartlett says he has been meeting on a regular basis with Tulsa pastors since he came to office. One of the topics that has been top of mind is the city partnering with various faith-based groups citywide.

"I can tell you that here in Tulsa we have more pastors in our city and people of faith than we have gang leaders and gang members," Victoria Bartlett said.

Victoria Bartlett was joined by her husband, Mayor Dewey Bartlett, and a group of ministers from churches in North Tulsa.

They announced the beginning Operation Bridges of Faith. It's a plan to help children who live in north Tulsa.

"When you see these innocent little children full of spirit and full of hope and of the future and then you go into our high schools and you see just the opposite, something happened in between," Victoria Bartlett said.

The announcement comes on the heels of the arrests of two men accused in the high profile Good Friday shootings.

City leaders have praised how residents in north Tulsa worked together to help police make the arrests. But Mayor Bartlett and his wife say they've been working on this plan since he first came into office.

"The churches in the north side community are the way to the heart and soul of this community," Mayor Bartlett said.

The mayor is asking church leaders from across the city to help find ways to keep kids away from drugs and gangs.

The plan is to have residents brainstorm for idea's to give kids something to do this summer once school is out.

"Such as baseball, softball, cheerleading, kickball, whatever it might be," the mayor said.

Church leaders are firmly behind the plan. They says it's important to carry on the success of residents working together from this past weekend and, hopefully, break down the wall that separates south Tulsa from north Tulsa.

"The wall has been great, the wall has been tall...hopefully this'll knock it down," said M.C. Potter with Antioch Baptist Church.

No city money is being spent on the program. Church leaders from across the city have been invited to a meeting next month to help come up with some ideas.

The meeting is on May 1st at 2-pm at the Greenwood Cultural Center.