[Lt. McKay] This is the best kept secret in City of Miami.

There are so many people who say#they# didn't know this building was#here.

[Terrance] This was where Black people actually had an opportunity to stand and really#assume responsibility for their community.

Here at the City of Miami Black Police# Precinct Courthouse Museum, I feel like this## building in itself now that it's even a# museum and it's only one that's in its## nation too that exists, and that's# only due to the push and the effort## of retired law enforcement officers who# worked out of this building.

They saw a## need to not have this building be# demolished and turned into a parking lot.

[Lt. McKay] I worked out of the precinct, this building# here, for about five or six years.

I became a## policeman on a dare.

My buddy had seen in the#papers that the City of Miami was hiring Black police#officers, so he came to me and said, "Let's go down and#sign up."

I said, "Not me, no, no way."

So he says, "Nah,#you just chicken."

"No, I'm not."

So I went on to become#a police officer.

[Terrance] Lieutenant Archie McKay is a gem to not just to this precinct, but to our community#as a whole.

I think he is the oldest living City of Miami police officer and now at 98, you know,#he'll come in and he'll offer special, very, very#special tours.

[Lt. McKay] My purpose to coming mostly was to# to give tours to people and that was a joy, a#pleasure.

Now all I want to do is to get the word out# through the media, through whatever way you can that this museum stands here# with information about negro policing.

[Terrance] So when you come into the museum, you# typically always will start at the booking## area of the museum, which gives individuals an# opportunity to hear about the influence and## how this building came to be.

Then you walk into# what we call our roll call area of the museum,## which is really where those Black officers had# their administrative desk, where they would put## their uniforms.

They had lockers.

You will# also see the jail that is original to the## building and then you come to the courtroom,# which was presided over by Judge Lawson Thomas.

This institution, this building, this# space, these stories represent somewhat## of a challenging time for Miami and# across the world.

Segregation was at an# all-time high in all aspects of the United# States, preventing Blacks from having the same## equal opportunities as whites and the City of# Miami in 1896 decided they wanted to become## a chartered city and there were not enough# white men who were interested in chartering## the City of Miami at the time.

They went to the# Black communities and they got 162 of them## to commit to signing the charter for the# city to become the City of Miami.

As a result## of that, many promises were made.

Many were not# kept.

Black communities were not feeling safe## they were not being protected.

It was the work# and effort of Dr Ira P. Davis and several other## community activists who stood up and said,# listen, we want to be able to have officers## that are working in our communities, that look# like us, that trust us, that want to protect us.

In 1944, the City of Miami swore in# their first five.

By 1950, we saw the five## officers turn into 51 officers and this# building was erected as the only one that## really carried the conversation of both booking,# jail and courthouse.

Although this building was## considered the Black Police Precinct, it was still#supervised by whites.

[Lt. McKay] Back then, they didn't train#Black police officers.

It was OJT, on-the-job training.

That's when I learned that part of the job was to interact with people.

That's when I# really fell in love with the work.

We only worked in the colored section of the town.

At that particular#time, we only had three areas that we lived in.

That was Coconut Grove area, Overtown area and# Liberty City.

We could only arrest Black people.

We couldn't arrest no white people, unless there# was a felony committed in our presence.## Courtrooms were segregated.

We had our own courtroom here in#this building and you had a Black judge.

[Terrance] It wasn't uncommon that you would see officers walking the#beat, you know, that means walking around the street.#You might see them riding horses, or riding#a bike.

You know, they weren't given a car right#away.

They didn't see a car until the late 1950s.#They were given a bicycle to ride, so things like#that really made these officers more personal.# You know, one of the key things and I love to## bring up when I'm providing tours is that these# officers were not allowed to wear their uniforms outside of duty, so a lot of that made# them humanize.

I often ask individuals like## Lieutenant McKay and Chief Dixon and Otis Davis,# who are still with us, what was it like, you know,## living in an Overtown during that time# and they would always remind me that we knew## about the segregation, but we didn't really# have to endure it or experience it at the level## unless we went outside of our community because# everything we needed was within our community.

[Lt. McKay] Overtown was very familiar# with me because I lived in Overtown.

It made the job easier because you#knew people, you knew the suspects'#parents and we could talk to them, and if they#were willing, they would either bring them#in or have them come in.

[Terrance] And so from#1950 to 1963, these Black officers really, truly served the community in the best way# they knew, right, in the best way they could.

Here at the museum, I have made a personal# effort to remain connected to the City of Miami#Police, whether it be through the reserves# or through activities and events and so as## you have new officers come in and go through# the academy, they are essentially indirectly required to go to this building, so they can# learn about the history, 'cause often many, if# not the majority of the new current# officers that we do have coming on the force, would not have been able to serve out of the# white precinct.

They would have been here in## this precinct, you know, because they're either# Latino or they're from another country.

And so## having a relationship with the police department,# we're trying to create a way that we are looked## at as almost like a pre-screening for# individuals who are interested in going into## the practice of law enforcement or becoming# lawyers.

When people come to this museum, I'm not asking them to reminisce about the past, but# I'm asking them to reflect on how the past can# influence the future decisions that we make.

Can we# consider getting back to a place where people who# are patrolling and protecting our communities and# serving our communities are people who have vested# interests in the communities that# they're patrolling and protecting and serving?

[Lt. McKay] I love this place.

I do whatever I can# to make this place a historic building forever.