FROM THE CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG 

CONTACT: Dr. Goliath J. Davis, III
Deputy Mayor, Midtown Economic Development 727-893-7539

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        

                                                   

 

St. Petersburg to Honor the “Courageous Twelve”

 

St. Petersburg, Fla. (September 10, 2007) – At the Thursday, September 13 City Council Meeting (3 p.m.), the city of St. Petersburg will officially recognize the “Courageous Twelve” with keys to the city and a proclamation, honoring the 12 police officers who in 1965 successfully challenged the Police Department’s existing policies and integrated the city’s police force, changing the course of history not only in the city, but in the county, state and nation.  

Seven of the original 12 officers are expected to attend, including Horace Nero, who continues to work for the St. Petersburg Police Department as a civilian investigator in Youth Resources.  Others attending include Adam Baker, Freddie L. Crawford, Leon Jackson, Robert V. Keys, Primus Killen and James King. The remaining five officers are deceased, and will be represented by their wives or children, including Raymond L. DeLoach, Charles Holland, Johnnie B. Lewis, Jerry Styles and Nathaniel L. Wooten.  

“In this particular case,” said Mayor Rick Baker, “a key to the city is most appropriate, since these courageous individuals opened the door for all those who live in St. Petersburg – regardless of race, gender or ethnicity – to have the equal opportunity to succeed and contribute to their city.” 

Prior to 1965, African American police officers were restricted to patrol only black neighborhoods, and to arrest only African American individuals. After diplomatic attempts to change the Police Department’s “separate but equal” policy, the group of officers enlisted the legal support of James B. Sanderlin, who filed a lawsuit.  In 1968, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the officers, and the separate but equal policy was dismantled.  

St. Petersburg Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis, who joined the St. Petersburg Police Department in 1974, has a first-hand understanding of the profound change the Courageous Twelve made. “Because of the courage and vigilance of these urban Buffalo Soldiers, I was given the opportunity to rise through the ranks and become St. Petersburg’s first African American police chief,” he said.  

Police Chief Chuck Harmon said, “To be effective, it is absolutely essential that a police department’s workforce closely resembles the community it serves. I admire the courage of these gentlemen – not only to be police officers but also to be willing to stand up for what they believed.”