James E. Davis (April 3, 1962 – July 23, 2003) was a New York City
policeman
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
,
corrections officer
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
and
council member. He was murdered in
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is the Government of New York City, seat of New York City government, located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, Park R ...
by a disgruntled aspiring opponent.
Early life
Davis was born and raised in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, the son of a
corrections officer
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
and a
registered nurse
A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...
. He was raised with his brother Geoffrey A. Davis. He spent his early childhood in
Bedford-Stuyvesant before his family moved to
Crown Heights.
He earned a bachelor's degree at
Pace University
Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pac ...
in
social science
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...
and youth agency administration. He became a corrections officer at
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is a island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that contains New York City's main jail complex. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was originally under in size, but has ...
after being beaten by two white police officers, and then became a police officer himself in 1991. In 1990, Davis had started an organization called "Love Yourself Stop the Violence" dedicated to stopping violence in urban America. The
NYPD
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
soon assigned Davis to the
New York City Police Academy
The New York City Police Academy is the police academy of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
Within the organization of the New York City Police Department, the Chief of Training oversees the Training Bureau, which includes the Police Aca ...
as an instructor, and he became a frequent guest on local radio and television programs.
Political career
![Jas Davis USPS 11225 jeh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Jas_Davis_USPS_11225_jeh.jpg)
Davis eventually qualified as a
minister at Holy Trinity Baptist Church of Brooklyn and became a district leader and then a
council member for
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
's
35th Council district in November 2001.
The template for his successful City Council bid had been established by previous races against
Assemblyman and Democratic
Kings County Chairman
Clarence Norman Jr.
Clarence Norman Jr. (born August 25, 1951) is a former American politician from the state of New York. He was the former chairman of the Kings County Democratic Party and member of the New York State Assembly from the 43rd Assembly District in ...
, who narrowly defeated him in 1998. The campaign against the politically powerful Norman—and Davis's high profile generally—ruffled feathers within the NYPD, and Davis was fired for violating a rule that prohibits paid city employees from engaging in electoral politics. In that November's election, his name was on the ballot on the old
Liberal Party of New York
The Liberal Party of New York is a political party in New York. Its platform supports a standard set of socially liberal policies, including abortion rights, increased spending on education, and universal health care.
History
The Liberal Party wa ...
line, for which Davis was fired from the NYPD. After pursuing litigation against the police department, Davis's claim that he never formally accepted the Liberal Party nomination was upheld and he was allowed to reclaim his job. He was not, however, permitted to return to his former detail at the police academy, instead being assigned to a night shift at a Brooklyn precinct.
His next campaign in 2001 was successful but would later be a factor in Davis's murder. Othniel Askew had raised funds to run against him, but had failed to file the proper papers on time, which led to accusations of political chicanery and caused Askew to harbor a grudge against Davis.
Death
![James E](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/James_E._Davis_-_Evergreens_Cemetery.jpg)
On July 23, 2003, Davis brought Askew to attend a council meeting at the council chambers in
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is the Government of New York City, seat of New York City government, located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, Park R ...
, with the intention of honoring him by introducing him from the balcony. The councilman and Askew were able to bypass the metal detectors, a courtesy offered to elected officials and their guests. Once in the balcony, and as the full council and dozens of attendees gathered into the chamber for the meeting, at 2:08 p.m., Askew fired a silver .40 caliber weapon at Davis, striking him several times in the torso. Davis, a retired police officer, was carrying a weapon, but it remained holstered. A plainclothes policeman, Richard Burt, on duty as bodyguard to
Gifford Miller
Alan Gifford Miller (born November 6, 1969) is the former Speaker of the New York City Council who represented the 5th district. Barred from seeking reelection due to term limits, the Democrat ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for ...
,
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
of the City Council, then fired at Askew from the floor of the chamber, striking Askew five times.
Paramedic
A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research.
Not all ambulance personnel are p ...
s arrived quickly, and attempted to revive both Davis and Askew before taking them to
Beekman Downtown Hospital, where both men died. Askew had a history of violence. It was discovered after the murder that Askew had asked Davis to sign papers naming him as Davis's replacement in case anything happened to Davis.
Davis's brother Geoffrey announced that he would run for the seat formerly held by his brother. He was defeated by fellow
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Letitia James
Letitia Ann James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the current Attorney General of New York, having won the 2018 election to succeed appointed Attorney General Barbara Und ...
, running on the
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party (WFP) is a minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Nev ...
line.
Davis was buried in
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several bl ...
in Brooklyn. Upon learning his killer's ashes were also in Green-Wood, Davis's family had his body exhumed and reinterred in the
Cemetery of the Evergreens
The Cemetery of the Evergreens, also called Evergreen Cemetery, is a non-denominational rural cemetery along the Cemetery Belt in Brooklyn and Queens, New York. It was incorporated in 1849, not long after the passage of New York's Rural Cemetery ...
.
''Law & Order'' episode
The murder incident would be used as the basis for "City Hall", an episode of ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' which aired on February 11, 2004. However, in the adaptation, the dead councilman was an innocent bystander, with the second victim, a low-level bureaucrat who survived with a shoulder wound, as the true target.
Electoral history
See also
*
List of assassinated American politicians
This is a list of assassinated American politicians sorted alphabetically. They were elected or appointed to office, or were candidates for public office.
There are 53 assassinated American politicians listed. The most common method of homicide w ...
References
External links
Biography at ''"Love Yourself" Stop the Violence''The Plot Thickens
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, James E.
1962 births
2003 deaths
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery
Burials at the Cemetery of the Evergreens
New York City Council members
New York City Police Department officers
New York (state) Democrats
African-American New York City Council members
African-American police officers
American prison officers
Assassinated American politicians
Deaths by firearm in Manhattan
Pace University alumni
People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
People from Crown Heights, Brooklyn
People murdered in New York City
Male murder victims
Politicians from Brooklyn
20th-century African-American politicians
African-American men in politics
21st-century African-American politicians
2000s assassinated politicians