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Police chief fears opening wounds
By LEANORA MINAI © St. Petersburg Times, published February 3, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- The way police Chief Goliath Davis III sees it, one wrong move could reverse four years of healing from two nights of racial violence: Letting Officer Jim Knight mix on the job with African-American residents. On Friday, Davis made some of his most extensive public comments about the nights of shooting, arson and looting that followed Knight's fatal shooting of a black teenager after a traffic stop. Davis said the city, particularly the neighborhoods that survived the violence in October and November 1996, is recovering but that the healing is slow. And it could be easily reversed. "It's been tough, but we've managed to stabilize things," Davis said. "The last thing I'd want to see is it happen all over again." After the civil disturbances, Knight, who was cleared in investigations into the shooting, was taken off working special assignments in predominantly black neighborhoods. Now he wants to return and said Davis' refusal to let him answer SWAT calls and work off-duty jobs denies him a career and extra pay. On Friday, Knight took his case to an arbitrator who will decide whether Davis has the authority to effectively bar Knight from working south of Central Avenue. "It doesn't mean I'm going to do it, but it's not right to say I can't," Knight, 39, told the Times. "I want things to be fair." The arbitrators' binding decision is expected in two months. Knight said he has not requested a transfer -- nor does he want to -- from his north-side patrol shift. He only wants to work citywide for SWAT calls and off-duty jobs. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in the Oct. 24, 1996, shooting death of TyRon Lewis. That day, he and another community police officer stopped Lewis for speeding at the intersection of 16th Street and 18th Avenue S. Lewis and a passenger refused to unlock their doors or roll down their windows, police said. Knight drew his gun and stood in front of the car. He said the car lurched forward several times, eventually knocking him onto the hood. He fired three shots, killing 18-year-old Lewis. A grand jury ruling the next month resulted in more street violence. The grand jury did not indict Knight, saying his actions were justified. Police supervisors told the arbitrator Friday that residents' memories are fresh and that the Police Department cannot not live with making a poor safety decision such as allowing Knight to work the parade honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "That's a $300 job," Knight told the arbitrator. Davis, appointed chief in June 1997, told the arbitrator that he has an obligation to maintain peace and harmony in the city. "I reside, go to church, recreate on the south side -- inner city of St. Pete," Davis said. "People would routinely come up to me and indicate they did not want to see Officer Knight back in the neighborhood." The St. Petersburg chapter of the NAACP has opposed Knight's return. "There are certainly strong elements in our community that would look with disfavor on his return to duty within this community," said Darryl Rouson, NAACP chapter president. Knight acknowledged that he has been confronted by some city residents since the shooting. In a couple of cases, a group of young black men and an Asian woman recognized Knight and challenged him while he was working on the north side of the city. Knight said those situations pale in comparison to "hundreds of positive" contacts. Knight said he places a star in his notebook for every call involving a minority. Union attorney Bill LauBach said the city could not provide evidence that Knight's return to the black community raises a safety concern. "Do I have video footage?" asked former assistant police chief Rick Stelljes during testimony. "No."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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