INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — An Oslo Middle School teacher said her search to answer students’ questions about race, policing and Gifford led her to organize the county’s first event recognizing local Black law enforcement officers.
Police, deputies and officials will gather Wednesday at Vero Beach High School from 4 to 6 p.m. for the Unsung Heroes of Indian River County ceremony, organized to recognize past and present Black law enforcement officers as part of the School District’s participation in Black History Month. The event is open to the public.
“A lot of our students in 8th grade had questions about Gifford and about law enforcement after the passing of George Floyd,” said Felecia Brown, Oslo Middle School resource specialist and exceptional student education support facilitator.
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Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest on May 25, 2020, when Derek Chauvin, a police officer at the time, knelt on his neck for more than 9 minutes, killing him. Floyd’s dying words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry, sparking protests against police brutality, especially toward black people. Chauvin was convicted of murder and sentenced to 22 1⁄2 years in prison.
Brown said her students asked about the first Black police officer in the county, and if there were now any Black high-ranking officials and why no Black officers were publicly recognized or awarded.
“Those are the questions a lot of the kids had, and I had no answers,” Brown said. Her research led her to the story of the county’s first Black deputy, Dallas Yates.
Brown said Yates was hired by Sheriff Sam Joyce in 1962 and was restricted to work minority areas and could not arrest white people.
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There will be a video presentation on Yates’ life in law enforcement and later as a business owner who went into agriculture and opened a local grocery market in the Gifford community he once policed.
Before the evening event, the CEO of the Gifford Community Cultural and Resource Center, Johnnie Mae Perry, is slated to speak at an assembly for Oslo Middle School eight-grade students along with school principal, Eddie Robinson.
Afterward, officers from Indian River Shores, Sebastian and Vero Beach police departments will speak with the students in a segment called, “Build a relationship with a cop.”
Brown said she grew up in Gifford and moved to Houston where she lived for 14 years before deciding to come back home.
She has worked with the School District for about three years and started out as a teacher.
Several members of her family were in law enforcement and she said that connection spurred her further to answer the students and create the event.
Brown said among her family in law enforcement, several recently passed away, including Fabian Pierce, who retired from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office as a captain and died last year along with 21-year deputy Curtis Hart who died in 2019.
His brother Donald Hart now works at Sebastian Police Department, she said.
“It means more to me than the politics…,” Brown said.
She said she also wants to commemorate Deputy Garry Chambliss who was shot and killed while off duty outside his home in 2017. The murder is unsolved.
Brown said she wants to acknowledge others, including Deputy Chief Milo Thornton for his accomplishments inside and outside law enforcement, such as his recent appointment by Gov. Ron DeSantis to Indian River State College board of trustees.
Although the focus is on Black law enforcement, Brown said the event is intended to recognize what she called the “brotherhood” of officers.
“All law enforcement. It’s about the brotherhood, the diversity – white and black,” she said.
Speakers at the event include: Sheriff Eric Flowers, Fellsmere Chief Keith Touchberry, Indian River Shores Public Safety Department Chief Rich Rosell, Sebastian police Chief Daniel Acosta and Vero Beach police Chief David Curry.
Brown said the public can attend and that COVID social distancing and masking policies will be in place.
The School District of Indian River County will also broadcast the ceremony on YouTube and Facebook.
Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Black law enforcement officers honored in Indian River County ceremony