Blackjack and Jive-five
Blackjack and Jive-Five is a humorous, bittersweet, adventure-filled story of heroes and villains, of laughter and despair--of a white police sergeant and his primarily black police unit dealing with internal acculturation phenomenon while also performing traditional police functions. This book boldly and constructively addresses one of the most controversial social issues of Twentieth Century America. Blackjack and Jive-Five chronicles a determined, positive response to cultural...
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Blackjack and Jive-Five is a humorous, bittersweet, adventure-filled story of heroes and villains, of laughter and despair--of a white police sergeant and his primarily black police unit dealing with internal acculturation phenomenon while also performing traditional police functions. This book boldly and constructively addresses one of the most controversial social issues of Twentieth Century America. Blackjack and Jive-Five chronicles a determined, positive response to cultural confrontation, organizational attitudes, and discrimination. The true story of Blackjack and Jive-Five, though generously filled with humor and human drama, immerses readers into the day-to-day pressures experienced by a unit of black cops and their white sergeant confronting a white-dominated police culture. Go to a different kind of "office" with these exceptional street cops--to a cluttered vacant lot where they plan their "capers." Accompany the officers as they carry out their plans and return to the "office" with them for joyful celebration and critique. More importantly, know and feel the hearts and minds of a group of street cops also dealing with severe social circumstances. Readers of Blackjack and Jive-Five truly become part of a very special, history-making police unit-excitedly, joyfully, although sometimes painfully so. About the Author Larry Murphy is a product of the rugged, hard-working culture of West Virginia's coalfields. Although he earned college degrees in Police Science, Police Administration, a Masters in Public Administration, and received wide recognition for professional competency in law enforcement, Larry has never lost his native, commonsense approach to life. Larry has broad experience in Administration of Justice and, notably, made significant contributions toward revising police recruiting and training standards following the riots that shook America's cities during the latter part of the 1960s. He was awarded the Oakland, California, Police Department's Medal of Merit for contributions to police training innovations and earned the coveted advanced certificate for law enforcement preparedness issued by the California Department of Justice.
Where the ax came from is still a mystery. It must have been in the sink since I had not been able to see it before-but who cares? What I do know is that she came across that kitchen with the ax raised above her head. She let out a chilling scream while heading straight for her husband. He moved very quickly, like he'd had some practice at it, and disappeared behind me-perhaps out the window again. I quickly slid the table into the path of the would-be chopper. She and I stood there frozen, just looking at each other across the table. \ "Dude! ____ You got to be one to catch one!" Stan was saying to Jerome and Art. It was, again, a deliberate put-on of speech form and inflection. Stan was as articulate in the English language as anyone I knew. "You guys done forgot 'ur roots!" he added, prancing, knee slapping and laughing. "You got to think black and be black! How many times have you run across this creek runnin' from the po-lice?"\ Malcontents were often more talented than their surroundings; malcontents often had ideas that were bigger than the people who had to approve them; and malcontents often got in trouble and hot water because their natures could not handle organizational restraints. Maybe they were a lot like me and maybe that is why I found power in them. Maybe I was subconsciously looking for a powerful malcontent to be a part of my squad.\ Regardless of the heinous crime a person seems to have committed, the constitution dictates that the arresting officer view the arrested person as innocent. That is damn hard to do! It is also damn hard to sell to police officers who work for you on the street. "Damn, Sarg!" one old-time cop said to me, "If he wasn't guilty, I wouldn't-arrested-'em in the first damn place!"\ Blackjack and Jive-Five were entering a very critical time-so critical that all events in close proximity to the time may be somewhat negatively tainted. Times got so tough for us that the trust we had for each other was diminished. I don't think we ever fully regained it. Realistically, though, trust as it had existed was probably never complete. It was so hard to gain one-hundred-percent trust between races in those days-hell even now. Terms such as white liberal and hypocrite, for whites, and Oreo cookie and Uncle Tom, for blacks, emotionally clouded the best of inter-racial relationships. In truth, I just tried to do what my concept of fairness told me I should do. That's it: I just wanted to be fair. Race just happened to get in the way, and so be it.
