Sgt.
Robert McGaha served the Area 4 police district community for nearly three
decades.
Those who
recall his commitment to law enforcement point to an officer who turned down
opportunities to get off the streets as a beat cop because he wanted to
continue to go after the criminals who disrupted communities, hoping to get
them to turn from their ways.
He was
considered a tough cop who pulled no punches, but one who wanted the young
Black men keeping up mayhem in the community to consider doing more positive
and constructive things.
Now in
McGaha's own time of need, some of the young criminals - now reformed - that he
used to counsel are coming to his aid.
It was
Calvin Omar-Johnson's pleasure to help host a recent fundraiser for McGaha, 74,
to help the former police officer pay for a ramp to be built at his south
suburban home so that he could enter and exit the home with greater ease.
McGaha suffered two strokes since he retired from the police department in
1994, the first one rendering him only slightly impaired, and the most recent
one, in 2009, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Omar-Johnson
admits to being into drugs and “street organizations” growing up. It was
McGaha, whom he described as a stern beat cop in his West Side community, who
would admonish Omar-Johnson and others to clean up their act.
He now
credits Sgt. McGaha with inspiring him to make an about face in his life.
“He did
so much for us in the community, in the 11th Dist.,” Omar-Johnson said of the
retired cop. “He was just a tough, firm officer. He told us we need to turn our
life around. So he was kinda instrumental in me making some changes in my
life.”
Now
Omar-Johnson is a community activist and heads the Workship Coalition, an
organization that he said advocates for construction and other jobs for
formerly incarcerated individuals.
McGaha
has some vision issues and has difficulty speaking, but seated in his
wheelchair at the head of the table in the private room in Ruby's restaurant on
the West Side, he was attentive and visibly moved by the outpouring of kind
words, tributes and financial support he received at the fundraiser.
Former
Cook County Commissioner Robert Shaw happened to be dining in the restaurant's
main dining room when he was told about the fundraiser for McGaha. Shaw paid
compliments and pledged to give a donation to the cause.
“This
officer here, I'm sure … has changed a lot of lives, helped a lot of young
people; and that's important,” said Shaw.
“It makes
sense that if he lifted us, we'd lift him,” retired police Lt. Maurice Brown
said of McGaha at the fundraiser.
The ramp
will cost $8,000 to $10,000 to build and his fiancé hopes the money can be
secured so that the couple can continue to reside in the split-level home they
currently live in. She said she wants to help improve his quality of life.
“He needs
to come out and have some kind of quality of life. That goes a long way,” said
Barbara Wright, McGaha's fiancé.
She wants
him to be able to simply go outside their home and enjoy their big backyard.
Copyright
2011 Chicago Defender
