Editing B. J. Brooks
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| religion = | | religion = | ||
| spouse =Lucille Brooks | | spouse =Lucille Brooks | ||
− | | parents =[[John B. Brooks]] | + | | parents =[[John B. Brooks]] |
| children = | | children = | ||
Annie Brooks (Swain) | Annie Brooks (Swain) | ||
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}} | }} | ||
− | The Reverend '''Billie Joe (B. J.) Brooks, Sr.''' ([[1935]]-[[1998]]) was a Pensacola [[civil rights]] leader, two-time president of the [[NAACP]] Pensacola branch, and pastor of the [[Greater Mount Lily Baptist Church | + | The Reverend '''Billie Joe (B. J.) Brooks, Sr.''' ([[1935]]-[[1998]]) was a Pensacola [[civil rights]] leader, two-time president of the [[NAACP]] Pensacola branch, and pastor of the [[Greater Mount Lily Baptist Church]]. |
− | In December [[1974]], when black motorist [[Wendel Blackwell]] was shot and killed by an [[Escambia County Sheriff's Deputy]], Brooks urged [[Escambia County Sheriff]] [[Royal Untreiner]] to suspend the deputy pending a full investigation. When Untreiner refused, Brooks led a [[Blackwell demonstrations|series of demonstrations]] early the next year | + | In December [[1974]], when black motorist [[Wendel Blackwell]] was shot and killed by an [[Escambia County Sheriff's Deputy]], Brooks urged [[Escambia County Sheriff]] [[Royal Untreiner]] to suspend the deputy pending a full investigation. When Untreiner refused, Brooks led a [[Blackwell demonstrations|series of demonstrations]] early the next year, along with local [[SCLC]] leaders [[H. K. Matthews]] and [[Otha Leverette]], that culminated in a [[February 24]] confrontation in which 47 people were arrested for unlawful assembly, including the three men. Brooks and Matthews were later charged with additional counts of felony extortion and convicted on [[June 10]], [[1975]]. |
In [[1996]], Brooks accused deputies with the [[Escambia County Sheriff's Office]] of using excess force in killing a 15-year-old boy who pointed an empty shotgun at two undercover officers posing as pizza-delivery men. | In [[1996]], Brooks accused deputies with the [[Escambia County Sheriff's Office]] of using excess force in killing a 15-year-old boy who pointed an empty shotgun at two undercover officers posing as pizza-delivery men. | ||
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In [[1997]], he helped derail a proposal to rename [[Bayfront Parkway]] and [[Main Street]] after [[Wikipedia:Martin Luther King, Jr.|Martin Luther King]], feeling the street's proximity to the [[Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant]] would be undignified to Dr. King's legacy. Instead Brooks pushed to rename [[A Street]], which runs through a predominantly black neighborhood, after the slain civil rights leader, but failed to gain sufficient support. (A portion of [[Alcaniz Street]] was eventually renamed [[Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive]].) Also in 1997, Brooks supported two black [[City of Pensacola Parks & Recreation]] workers who were fired after an altercation with white [[Pensacola Police Officer]]s outside a community center. | In [[1997]], he helped derail a proposal to rename [[Bayfront Parkway]] and [[Main Street]] after [[Wikipedia:Martin Luther King, Jr.|Martin Luther King]], feeling the street's proximity to the [[Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant]] would be undignified to Dr. King's legacy. Instead Brooks pushed to rename [[A Street]], which runs through a predominantly black neighborhood, after the slain civil rights leader, but failed to gain sufficient support. (A portion of [[Alcaniz Street]] was eventually renamed [[Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive]].) Also in 1997, Brooks supported two black [[City of Pensacola Parks & Recreation]] workers who were fired after an altercation with white [[Pensacola Police Officer]]s outside a community center. | ||
− | Brooks passed away on [[February 15]], [[1998]], at the age of 62 | + | Brooks passed away on [[February 15]], [[1998]], at the age of 62. Reverend [[Michael Johnson]] said of him, "He had a burning desire to help people. Like most people that take on that kind of leadership, even if it meant sometimes sacrificing, he would do it."<ref>Obituary. ''Palm Beach Post'', February 19, 1998.</ref> |
− | + | The local [[NAACP]] chapter has established a scholarship in his honor. | |
==References== | ==References== |