Retired LMPD officer 'Sir Friendly C' has Louisville street named in his honor

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Ray Barker, a retired Louisville Metro Police officer known to many as "Sir Friendly C," had a street named in his honor Saturday.

The street sign for Barker, a police officer for more than 20 years as well as a U.S. Marine, was unveiled at the corner of Cecil Avenue and Broadway in west Louisville. The intersection will be known as "Ray A. Barker, Sir Friendly C Way."

"It's very special," he said. "It feels like nothing but love to me to have the citizens of Louisville to say 'Thank you' in this way."

As Sir Friendly C, Barker used rapping to encourage students to say no to drugs and resist violence in their community while speaking at local schools during the 1990s. His community activism has extended to Sir Friendly "C" Inc., a nonprofit organization.

Louisville Metro Councilwoman Jessica Green, D-1, led the effort for the dedication, which council approved last November.

In the resolution council approved, it's estimated Barker and his nonprofit spread his anti-drug and anti-violence message to more than 100,000 children throughout Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. His after-school youth program helped more than 1,000 children graduate high school, and many continued their education at the collegiate level.

Barker didn't learn about the planned dedication until Metro Council voted on it. When he received an outpouring of support on social media, Barker said he made sure to respond to all the comments.

After policing the area for decades, Barker is now trying to provide jobs to people around the community. The Bell Award recipient hopes to continue making a positive impact.

"I still live down the street," Barker said. "I still walk in my community to let folks know I'm still here if they need my help."

Barker serves on the Executive Kentucky Lottery Board, works with the organization Man Up and is a motivational speaker for churches, organizations and schools.

In September, Sir Friendly C joined fellow Louisville artists on a song called "Live Hard" and an accompanying music video that address a year of record-breaking gun violence in the city.

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