On February 6, 1972 Joseph Caleb, 34, a lawyer and head of the International Union of North American Laborers was found behind his apartment building dead, his body riddled with half a dozen gunshot wounds. The NY Times article reporting the murder is here.
The Union that Mr. Caleb headed was the second largest Union local in the US and its membership was 85% black.
Joseph Caleb headed the Union local from 1963 until his murder. During the turbulent times of the 1960's black laborers were-not surprisingly- paid significantly less than their white counterparts. Raised by his grandparents who were Alabama share-croppers- Caleb fought for the right to equal pay for his Union members. During his leadership, according to this Miami Herald Article written by Mr. Calen's son in 2014, pay for black workers in the union rose from $1.15/hour to $5.30/hour plus benefits.
As Mr. Caleb's son also writes, his father was more than a union leader. He was a civil rights activist, a philanthropist who supported more than 16 charities, the chairman of the Model City Program - a President Johnson era program to bring a community center to Miami- the one that is now named for Mr. Caleb. Mr. Caleb brought the free-school-lunch program for inner city youth to Miami, and a youth summer job program as well.
The Caleb Center is located at 5400 NW 22nd Avenue. The Judges assigned to the re-opening of the Courthouse are Gordon Murray (civil) and Jacqueline Woodward (criminal).
Many of us went to law school to make the world a better place. Few of us actually do so. Joseph Caleb did and the courthouse and community center are a fitting tribute to the man and his life.
Nice piece of overlooked black history that has gone underreported through the years. He was gunned down mafia style and left with about $700 in his sock, not a trifling amount back then. An arrest was made but the perp was himself gunned down in Fort Lauderdale. Remember, the so called union movement back then was rife with corruption. Just ask Jimmy Hoffa how the mob handled leaders who stood up for the rank and file. Caleb was an eccentric who dressed like a dandy. Good that his memory has not been dumped on the ash heap of local history.
ReplyDeleteJohn Marcus Bennett killed him with help from his partner George "skip" Walton. "Skip" nocked on his door and told him thru the door because Joseph Caleb wouldn't open the door that he had backed into his car. Caleb opened the door and went to look at the damage to his car that's when Bennett came into view and unloaded his revolver into caleb
DeleteWe have a Truman Capote-Dandy right now that wears purple ascots and yellow polka-dot hankies in his jacket chest pocket and eats on Lincoln road cafes and holds court with his legal minions while he wears Tom Ford suits and drives his Porsche/Bentley/G-Wagon from his lux ocean-front abode to the courthouse and back.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't find much on the investigation into his murder and whether there was an arrest. Can you tell me where to find the information on the arrest and then murder of the suspect?
ReplyDeleteThe sobe Dandy does NOT mingle with hoi poloi on Lincoln Road cafes! Puhleeeze. Far from it. The Delano...The Four Seasons...Nobu...Prime 112...Joes...Steak-n-shake are where you will find the Dandy with his ascots and hankies and sycophants not to mention his emerald cuff links, sixties gold tie-bar, DK glasses, stylish antique pocket watch fob, and 50K in capped teeth.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.redorbit.com/news/business/526603/the_working_mans_hero_joseph_caleb_was_an_activist_labor/
ReplyDelete11:57 am, does the Dandy go to The REN a venue after calling the Shumie at the Delano?
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ReplyDeleteIt only took the County 16 years to re-open the iconic building.
I remember appearing in that courthouse as a young attorney representing clients accused of traffic tickets and other minor charges. Parking was free and the courthouse was easy to get in and out of. Young County Court judges would get assigned to the Caleb Center as one of their first assignments (along with Hialeah, Miami Beach, and then eventually the NDJC and the SDJC). Finally, in 2003, they closed the dilapidated Caleb Center promising to renovate the place.
Finally, in 2019, 16 years later, the Liberty City courthouse is open once again.
The story above (use the link) was worth reading.
Cap Out .....
Has it really been 16 years since they closed it for renovations? Thanks, Captain, you just made me feel really old.
ReplyDeleteNow ! for $999.00 the one the only the Shumie! will record a personal 90 second message to you or a friend or a loved one. Just click on the link or go to Cameo and pay up and here the great one call "shumie time" one more time!
ReplyDelete(type in BLOG for a $5.00 discount)
CORRECTION. 17 years.
ReplyDeleteThe Captain Reports:
The Eleventh Judicial Circuit will join Miami-Dade County in celebrating the re-opening of the Joseph Caleb Center, which will include courts and clerks’ facilities.
The Center, which had been closed since 2002 for renovations, will feature two courtrooms, one hearing room, a mediation room and office space for judges and court staff. Clerk’s Office services will include marriage licenses and ceremonies.
The Caleb Center courts will hear County Civil cases such as small claims, landlord/tenant, and domestic violence civil injunctions. County Criminal cases will also be heard there, including misdemeanor criminal cases and traffic hearings.
The Drive legal Program, which helps drivers restore their suspended driver licenses through community service and repayment plans, will be part of the services offered by the court. Other services such as a lactation room and Court Care, a child care facility, will be available as well. A detailed list of court and clerk services are found in the attached flyer.
“We are excited that our courts will be reopening at the Joseph Caleb Center and that we will be able to offer new services there, such as Drive Legal,” said the Honorable Bertila Soto, Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.
Cap Out .....
12:15:00 AM Captain Justice: Can you please make the "attached flyer" available? Thank you.
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