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THE NATION'S LARGEST AFRICAN AMERICAN ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVE
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September 15, 2017 - Vol. 1, Issue 2
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Dear Subscribing Institutions, Friends and Supporters:
Welcome to this week's edition of
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive Newsletter
.This very morning, we learned that white former police officer Jason Stockley was found not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting of 24 year-old Anthony Lamer Smith in St. Louis, Missouri. Anthony Lamar Smith. Laquan McDonald. Tamir Rice. Freddie Gray. Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. Fallow achievements never sown; dreams never actualized; African American faces that have lost the potential of ever joining the storied ranks of our archive in the future, as their lives were cut short when they were met with a white police officer. The history of cataclysmic disharmony between the African American community and the police is a topic widely covered in our archive.
While next week we will feature our HistoryMakers' many stories of white police brutality upon black citizens, in this week's feature we look at Chicago legend Two-Gun Pete, and the historical use of black police officers as the arm of white power in black communities. After, join us in paying tribute to HistoryMaker and former police officer, Patricia Hill, and then check out this week's tip to using our archive by exploring HistoryMaker Khalil Gibran Muhammad's mixed tape
, Blue Veins and Black Bodies: Stories of Policing in America,
a curated selection of stories from our archive. Read on for more!
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The Problem of Characterizing Two-Gun Pete
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Sylvester "Two-Gun Pete" Washington
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Sylvester Washington and Chicago Democratic Ward Boss, Joseph T. Plunkett
1
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The Honorable Terry Hillard
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Lore of Chicago’s South Side still whispers of a legendary figure known to those who lived there as Two-Gun Pete, a renowned African American police officer. Lawyer and HistoryMaker Truman K. Gibson, Jr. recalls:
“Two-Gun Pete in my day was the most feared policeman and rightly so. He was handy with his fist, deadly with his gun, and when he got mad, his eyes got red. And …were told, ‘Beware of the guy with red eyes.’”
4
[Truman K. Gibson, Jr., THMDA 2.10.8].
Two-Gun Pete, born Sylvester Washington, was a police officer that worked the streets of the 5th District beat in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood from 1933 until 1951, when very few African American officers populated the force. A near-mythical figure, he earned the nickname “Two-Gun Pete” for the two pearl-handled .357 Magnums that he wielded in shootouts with alarming regularity, and deadly accuracy.
5
However, authors Larry K. Gaines and Victor E. Kappeler note in
Policing America
that historically for a black officer during Two-Gun Pete’s generation, “
their entry into the workforce was not smooth…when they began their employment in predominantly white or all-white police departments, they encountered resistance and resentment from all quarters. In some cases, their work assignments were restricted to minority neighborhoods, or they were only allowed to arrest minorities.”
6
Although he had little power outside the black community, Two-Gun Pete served as an enforcer of white authority. Andrew T. Darien states in
Becoming New York's Finest: Race, Gender, and the Integration of the NYPD, 1935-1980
that,
“The strategic hiring of black police officers during Harlem’s riots and the postwar period had antecedents that went back to the late nineteenth century,”
a tactic not specific to New York,
as “white police officials viewed these precincts with disdain and often contributed little manpower and resources to them, black police officers understood that these were the least desirable posts. Black cops also knew that the department’s clustering of them in these three precincts meant fewer opportunities for promotion. The prime areas for advancement…completely excluded black cops.”
7
Former dean of Kennedy-King College and HistoryMaker Harold Pates observed growing up on Chicago’s South Side:
“Black policemen…were only arresting black people. I grew up in the neighborhood, Two-Gun Pete would shoot a black man down in a minute…their whole mission was to keep the black community civil, so to speak”
8
[
Harold Pates, THMDA 2.13.3].
Fear and respect for Two-Gun Pete mounted to such an extreme, that often suspects turned themselves in. HistoryMaker, news anchor and Chicago native Warner Saunders recounts, “
I remember Two-Gun Pete…his name was Sylvester Washington, and he was the policeman on the street. And he was--a fearful figure. So tough that, if he decided to arrest you and me standing on the corner, he didn't bother about sending a police wagon, he would just tell us to meet him at the police station. And if you didn't meet him at the police station…you'd have him to have to deal with. And it was his job to kind of do--be the law and order in the community. Although all of this corruption was going on inside of the community, he sat atop of this as the legal figure there. I was scared to death of him. And Two-Gun Pete was used by many parents to scare 'em straight. My mother said…‘Two-Gun Pete is gonna catch you one day, and you're gonna really be in trouble.'”
9
[Warner Saunders, THMDA 1.1.7]
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To some, he was a hero, a vigilant protector who kept the South Side safe; to others, he was a cruel thug, as corrupt and dangerous as any hard-nosed criminal. Purportedly, Washington claimed that, in his eighteen years as a member of the Chicago police force, he made over 20,000 arrests, and was involved in the deaths of sixteen black men.
5
Reflecting upon both Sylvester Washington, the man, and the myth that was Two-Gun Pete today in 2017, it is hard to characterize him without citing troubling, discriminatory context for his power and brutality.
Former Chicago Police superintendent, HistoryMarker Terry Hillard reflects:
“Because back in those days…we didn’t have a standard for cops using their guns, you know. We didn’t have oversight when it came down to brutality and excessive force…those terms weren’t used in those days, you know. He got away with a lot…and rather than suffer all that pain and aggravation, you know, from Pete, you did what he told you to do…Pete was in a number of shootouts, and he lived to tell about it, you know…people respected him…but they feared him, also”
10
[The Honorable Terry Hillard, THMDA 1.3.1].
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"Committed to the Community"
THE HISTORYMAKERS REMEMBERS PATRICIA HILL
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This week, we pay tribute to HistoryMaker
Patricia Hill,
who passed away on September 3, 2017.
2
As former executive director of Chicago’s African American Police League, Hill worked to improve the relationship between the Chicago's Police Department and minority neighborhoods. As a police officer, she remained critical of the department at all times, and always fought for justice. Because of the long history of dissonance and abuse between law enforcement and the African American community, Hill took pride in the African American Police League's civic commitment, and stated that the organization:
"Is a community organization that just happens to be comprised of police officers. And I’ve always been committed to the community, always been connected to the community and as a matter of fact, we are here because the community put a challenge to black police after the riots of Dr. King and they asked a poignant question: Are you with us, or are you for us; that was when the conscious level was high, that was when the community was practicing on some level of self-determination and hopefully, we’ll get back to that point ”
3
[Patricia Hill, THMDA 1.4.3].
Thank you, Patricia Hill, for your dedication to justice and your commitment to your community.
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NEW CONTENT IN
THE HISTORYMAKERS DIGITAL ARCHIVE
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As of September 15, 2017,
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
is now home to
2,194
historically significant interviews, with over
116,705
stories. This week,
9
new interviews were added to our unique resource. Joining us are:
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Emma E. Houston
Nonprofit administrator Emma E. Houston (1956 - ) served as Assistant Program Manager for the Salt Lake County Aging Services. She was also the Director of Membership and Director of Girl Services for the Girl Scouts of Utah.
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Dabney N. Montgomery
City government employee Dabney N. Montgomery (1923 - 2016 ) was a Tuskegee Airman and took part in the second Selma to Montgomery March.
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Robert Lewis Harris
Energy executive and civil rights lawyer Robert Lewis Harris (1944 - ) worked for the Pacific Gas & Electric Company for over three decades, and was involved with a wide variety of free speech, environmental, and community advocacy issues.
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Gloria Toote
Real estate entrepreneur, lawyer, and federal government appointee Gloria Toote (1931 - 2017 ) served as an advisor to four U.S. presidents. She was vice chairman of the United States Office of Private Sector Initiatives during the Reagan administration, and was president of a property management company in New York City.
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Major General Arthur Holmes, Jr.
Major general Maj. Gen. Arthur Holmes, Jr. (1931 - ) retired from the military as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command. He also served as the director of the Department of Public Works and Transportation in Montgomery, Alabama.
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Bishop Vashti McKenzie
Bishop Bishop Vashti McKenzie (1947 - ) was the first woman to become a titular head of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
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EDUCATION & LIBRARY/ARCHIVES
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Joyce Moore Gray
Education consultant and principal Joyce Moore Gray (1943 - ) was the first African American principal in the history of the State of Utah.
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Reginald Hudlin
Director and broadcast executive Reginald Hudlin (1961 - ) was the president of entertainment for Black Entertainment Television (BET) Networks. He wrote, produced, and directed numerous films and televisions shows including
House Party
,
Boomerang
,
The Great White Hype
,
Cosmic Slop
,
The Bernie Mac Show
,
Everybody Hates Chris
and
The Boondocks
.
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BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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James McQuay
Furrier James McQuay (1924 - 2012 ) opened the first shop in Harlem in 1950. His furs can be seen in the 1970s films,
Cleopatra Jones
and
Foxy Brown
.
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3.
Patricia Hill (The HistoryMakers A2002.081), interviewed by Larry Crowe, June 25, 2002, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 4, story 3, Patricia Hill talks about the African American Police League's commitment to the black community
4.Truman K. Gibson, Jr. (The HistoryMakers A2002.079), interviewed by Warner Saunders, June 17, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 10, story 8, Truman K. Gibson talks about Sylvester "Two Gun Pete" Washington
5.
Hayes, Bernie.
The Death of Black Radio: The Story of America’s Black Radio Personalities,
p. 3. iUniverse, Inc., November 14, 2005.
6.Gaines, Larry K., and Victor E. Kappeler.
Policing in America,
p. 120. Waltham, MA. Elsevier, 2011.
7. Darien, Andrew T.
Becoming New York’s Finest: Race, Gender, and the Integration of the NYPD, 1935-1980,
p. 17. Palgrave Macmillan US, Oct. 17, 2013
8.
Harold Pates (The HistoryMakers A2005.263), interviewed by Larry Crowe, July 10, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 13, story 3, Harold Pates recalls incidents that led to the Selma to Montgomery marches
9. Warner Saunders (The HistoryMakers A2001.067), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, March 27, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 7, Warner Saunders shares childhood memories
10. The Honorable Terry Hillard (The HistoryMakers A2010.036), interviewed by Larry Crowe, May 24, 2010, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 1, The Honorable Terry Hillard remembers Sylvester Washington
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Spot an error in
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
? We want to fix it! Send a brief description of the error to:
digitalarchive@thehistorymakers.org
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We're here to help! Please direct questions about
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
to:
digitalarchive@thehistorymakers.org
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Browse our collection of over 116,466 stories:
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