 For a short time, he owned the Omaha saloon, The Midway, a center of gambling and criminal activity in the city.As well as a working as defense lawyer, he worked for civil rights and was a member of the Omaha Afro-American League, a civil rights organization in the city.In 1902, he had a dispute with Omaha political and criminal boss, Tom Dennison, which resulted in Walker's beating at the hands of an Omaha police and an end to his political ambitions in Omaha.