Karen Keith faces cease and desist for unauthorized photo

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TULSA, Okla.–A local photographer announced she’s issued a formal cease and desist letter to Tulsa Mayoral Candidate Karen Keith for using a copyrighted photo in a campaign attack ad without permission or compensation.

Photographer Jamie Glisson is accusing Keith, who faces Monroe Nichols for Tulsa Mayor on November 5, of using an image she’d taken during the 2023 Boo Haha Parade in a mailer and an attack ad on Keith’s website without permission or compensation.

The photo taken by Glisson showed Monroe running in the direction of the camera.

By Friday afternoon, the photo no longer appeared on an attack ad website created by the Karen Keith campaign.

According to the cease and desist letter, Glisson gave Keith until 3 p.m. central time Friday to comply.

Photographer sends cease and desist letter to Karen Keith

In a text message to the Black Wall Street Times Friday, Glisson said she wants the photo removed from all of Keith’s campaign materials, a public apology and $10,000 compensation “for unauthorized usage, damaging my reputation as a photographer, and to cover the time and expenses I’ve incurred seeking out professional guidance on how to resolve this.”

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, copyright violations can legally result in damages as high as $150,000.

Beyond the ethics violation outlined in the cease and desist letter, Glisson said she’s disappointed in Karen Keith and worries about her own livelihood. “This is how I pay my mortgage. And for someone who claims to have the same values as me to take my work and use it in a negative manner in an attempt to better themselves,” Glisson told the Black Wall St. Times.

Keith didn’t immediately respond to the Black Wall Street Times’ request for comment. The cease and desist order is the latest development in a string of lies, falsehoods and altered images coming from the Keith campaign.

Keith, a 16-year Tulsa County Commissioner, and Nichols, an eight-year Oklahoma state lawmaker, are both Democrats vying for Tulsa Mayor. Yet, after Nichols came out ahead against Keith and conservative Brent VanNorman in the August primary, he received several endorsements with a chance of becoming Tulsa’s first-ever Black mayor.

Keith, who herself is a named defendant in a lawsuit involving abuse of minors by staff and guards at the city’s Juvenile Justice Center, has responded to Nichols’ rising support with little regard for facts or transparency.

Is Karen Keith being a ”Karen”?

Ironically, she shares a name with the stereotypical archetype of “Karen,” a term given to a white woman who deploy racism when she doesn’t get her way.

Using mailers and ads, Keith has lied about her opponent’s record to label Nichols soft on crime and someone who wants to defund the police. The Tulsa World, which has endorsed Nichols, pointed out her mischaracterization of the facts.

In one ad placed on Facebook, Karen Keith digitally altered an image to remove a Nichols supporter from the photo.

More recently, the daughter of the late U.S. Republican Senator from Oklahoma Jim Inhofe called out Keith for using an image of her father in her campaign even though he was clear about not making an endorsement.

“Prior to his passing, he was specifically asked by Karen Keith to endorse her campaign and he chose not to,” Molly Rapert said. “I expressly asked the people involved to NOT do this.”

Ahead of the primary election for Tulsa Mayor in August, Karen Keith was the only one of the three-then candidates to refuse to respond to the city’s Black-owned media outlets.

“These incidents collectively highlight a pattern of disregard for ethics and copyright,” Glisson’s representative said in a statement Friday. “It’s troubling to see repeated manipulations designed to mislead the public. As a professional whose work depends on trust and transparency, Jamie is standing up not only for herself but for all creatives.”

Glisson stated she’s ready to “pursue all available legal avenues to protect her rights and hold the campaign accountable for its actions.”

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