Top: Judges, Harry T. Alexander-Luke Moore and Gene Hamilton-Alex Williams-HBell & Henry Kennedy Jr. Ted Newman, Harry T. Alexander, Larry Brown (NFL), and Gene Hamilton-Larry Brown, Harold McLinton and Gene Hamilton at Bolling Boys Base on Bolling Air Force Base in SE DC.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkafk63frbg

The DC Superior Court once set the standard for fairness, thanks to men like Chief Judge Harold Greene, Judges Harry Alexander, Luke Moore, Eugene Hamilton, Ted Newman, and Henry Kennedy, Jr.  

In Washington, DC in 1968 I was up close and personal during the riots as a Roving Leader for the DC Department of Recreation & Parks’ Youth Gang Task Force.  The riots in Ferguson, Missouri brought back bad memories.  I was in the middle of the chaos in the U Street NW corridor.  My co-worker and former Green Bay Packer great Willie Wood and I teamed up with the late U. S. Marshall, Luke C. Moore, and undercover FBI agent Wayne Davis.  We tried to bring peace back to the streets.  

 Luke was the first black modern-day U. S. Marshall in charge in 1967.  He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and later President Richard Nixon appointed him to the DC Superior Court in 1969.  Abolitionist Frederick Douglas was the first black U. S. Marshall appointed in 1877, he was appointed by President Rutherford Hayes. 

The White House ordered all businesses to shut down during the riots, but Luke had a street corner meeting in front of Ben’s Chili Bowl with owner Ben Ali.  He then called The White House and asked to reconsider and allow Ben’s Chili Bowl to remain open for first respondents, including police, fire departments, doctors/nurses, and youth advocates like myself.  

The request was granted, when the dust, tear gas, and military personnel had cleared the streets, Lee’s Flower Shop, Industrial Bank, and Ben’s Chili Bowl on the U Street corridor were the only remaining black businesses.

Luke, Willie, and I had walked arm and arm through the tear gas streets of NW DC trying to save lives.  Luke would later become a DC Superior Court judge and Willie Wood would be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1989.  

Out of the riot ashes Kids In Trouble, Inc. was born, Luke Moore’s contributions to Kids In Trouble and Inside Sports can never be measured in time or money.  

Luke Moore’s contributions to Kids In Trouble and Inside Sports can never be measured in time or money.  He helped me get the Bolling Boys Base for juvenile delinquents off the ground on Bolling Air Force Base in SE DC.  He went directly to DC Mayor Walter Washington and Department of Human Resources Director, Joe Yeldell and all said “Let’s do it!” 

In 1971 Luke helped me to coordinate the opening of Bolling Boys Base for juvenile delinquents.  The first ever on a military installation in the United States.  Bolling Air Force Base was located in SE DC, The home of “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry. 

After I got the go-ahead from the Pentagon, Luke went directly to DC Mayor Walter Washington and the Department of Human  Resources Director, Joe Yeldell, and all said “Let’s do it!”

The District facilities were badly overcrowded and added housing was needed. The success of the Kids In Trouble Christmas Toy Party (1968-2013) can be directly attributed to Judge Luke C. Moore.

Luke encouraged other judges to get involved in the community including, Chief Judge Harold Greene.  He and Luke were in attendance for the grand opening of Bolling Boys Base.  The athletes, politicians, radio & television personalities would all follow their lead when it came to community involvement.

  We had a great staff of judges from the DC Superior Court, it was there the perquisite for fairness could be found in their courtrooms.  They included “The One of a Kind”, Harry T. Alexander, Eugene Hamilton, Ted Newman, Henry Kennedy Jr, and Luke Moore.  They put the community and children first and they led by example.

Kids In Trouble, Inc. kept my wife Hattie and me in and out of the DC Superior Court with troubled kids and their parents.  The courthouse became our home away from home.  I watched people of color and the poor get a fair trial. 

Judge Alexander demanded all attorneys, police officers, and prosecutors to address all defendants as Mr and Mrs in his courtroom.  This was unheard of in any court of law anywhere in the country.  I was in Judge Alexander’s courtroom one morning when he warned a white cop to address the defendants as Mr and Mrs.   The cop kept calling the defendant a boy.   Judge Alexander warned him one more time.  The next time was the last.  time.  The judge banged his gravel and yelled, “Case dismissed, Mistaken Identity.”  Everyone in the courtroom stood up and applauded.

Yes, there was a time when there was, Justice for all and not Just-Us in the courtrooms of the DC Superior Court and I was an eyewitness.

Judge Luke Moore and I talked about what is ahead for minorities and people of color in our courtrooms after the passing of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.  Tough times ahead!

Judge Moore made my day when we were closing the show, I thanked him for being on Inside Sports, and I was honored to be his friend.  Judge Moore is one of the most respected judges to wear a robe in a DC Courtroom, bar none.  He said, “I am always ready to join your program anytime.  You have always done something in this community.  You have been our voice in the media, and we love you for it.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkafk63frbg

 GAME PLAN FOR MAKING OUR CHILDREN & COMMUNITY GREAT AND SAFE AGAIN!

AVOID: Politicians, lawyers, and preachers with a history of lying, cheating, stealing, and WORDS that have meant little or nothing when you needed them.  beware, especially of those who will cry,  “I have made mistakes, and I have changed.” If they were a snake in another life, their bite is poison in this life!