TULSA - Community leaders and police gathered at the Greenwood Cultural Center Tuesday to show unity and bring home a special picture of a man who made a difference during the Tulsa Race Riots.
Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan presented the cultural center with a portrait of Tulsa's first black officer, which he bought at a Tulsa fairgrounds antique show.
"A retired corporal called me and said 'chief, there is a picture of Tulsa's first black police officer, Barney Cleaver, out here.' And I went out there, and sure enough, there was."
Chief Jordan researched Officer Cleaver and discovered he played a special role during a terrible time in the city's history, testifying against the police chief.
"He was here during the riots, he was with the sheriff's office during the riots. He testified against Gustafson. I think that makes him a main player in the whole Greenwood experience."
Senator James Lankford also worked to share the history of the Tulsa Race Riot.
"In five years, the whole country's going to ask - what have we learned as a nation? What's different?"
Soon, Officer Cleaver's portrait will hang in all Tulsa police divisions, and in the heart of the Greenwood District.
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