By Tien-Shun Lee and Courtney Dentch
Bearing prayer cards and “Love Yourself, Stop the Violence” pamphlets, hundreds attended the funeral for slain Councilman James Davis in Brooklyn Tuesday, where he was remembered as an outspoken advocate of non-violence who lived life fearlessly and lit up rooms with his enthusiasm.
The Queens council delegation turned out in force for the funeral of Davis, a 41-year-old Democrat from Fort Greene who earned a reputation as a maverick in the City Council.
He was shot seven times in the torso by Othniel Askew on the balcony of the City Council chambers in City Hall just after 2 p.m. July 23, police said.
Askew, 31, who had filed papers to run against Davis in the September Democratic primary, died after being shot by Police Officer Richard Burt of St. Albans, who fired from the council floor.
“Davis was never shy about expressing himself. His great strength was he told it like he saw it,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, drawing praise and clapping from a largely African-American crowd inside the Elim International Fellowship Church at 20 Madison St. in Brooklyn. “He was in touch with people as he could possibly be.”
Last week after Davis’s assassin was waved past City Hall security without passing through a metal detector, Bloomberg enacted a policy that everyone entering City Hall, including himself and city councilmen, are required to pass though a magnetometer. Askew had entered as Davis’ guest.
Several Queens council members stood below buzzing helicopters among crowds of reporters outside City Hall shortly after the shooting, recounting their harrowing experiences and speaking about their slain colleague.
“It seemed like the shots didn’t stop,” said Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona), who was standing behind his chair in the council chamber when the gunfire began. “I fell to the floor, put my hands behind my head and screamed ‘Get down! Get down! Everybody get down!’”
Having served in the Police Department for 12 years and in the U.S. Marines before that, Monserrate said he knew immediately that the popping sounds he heard were gunshots.
“I was praying that I wouldn’t be shot,” said Monserrate. “I was one of the last to leave. I didn’t want to get up and be the target of a shot.”
Like Monserrate, Davis was a former NYPD officer. He was on the City Council’s Public Safety Committee and served as chairman for the Juvenile Justice Committee.
In an eerily similar incident, Monserrate was also threatened by a campaign worker for a political opponent, the Queens district attorney said. The worker was arrested and charged Monday, the DA said.
According to friends and family, Davis decided to become a police officer in 1983 after two white officers put guns to his head and accused him of stealing his mother’s car. He began his law enforcement career as a corrections officer at Rikers Island, then moved on to the Police Department in 1993, working as an officer and eventually an instructor of the Police Academy.
In 1991, Davis founded a non-profit organization called “Love Yourself, Stop the Violence,” which sought to stop senseless violence at its roots by reaching out to youths in schools and jails and banning the sale of realistic toy guns.
“James was a force to be reckoned with because he understood the (police) department better than most people,” said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who spoke after the mayor at Davis’s funeral. “He asked pointed questions. He exuded confidence and enthusiasm and he had an irresistible belief in his fellow man. Sadly we will never know just how much more he could’ve accomplished.”
City Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan) urged people to continue to carry on Davis’ mission of non-violence so that his death would not be in vain.
“James served as a mentor to countless young people. He wanted to stop (violence) all together,” said Miller.
Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), whose office in City Hall is next to Davis’s office, said Davis was a passionate and hardworking individual.
About 10 minutes before he was shot, Davis attended a news conference where Liu’s legislative director received a fellowship, said Liu. He talked to Liu about how things were going in his district.
Then Davis stayed on the City Council chamber balcony while Liu headed down the stairs to the chamber floor, which witnesses said was filled with about 50 people, including council members, lobbyists, interns, staff and members of several groups that had just been ceremonially recognized by the City Council for their work.
Liu said he felt too much emphasis was being placed on metal detectors following the shooting instead of focusing on the broader issue that Davis had been killed with an illegal gun.
“We clearly need stronger gun control laws at the national level,” said Liu.
Outside the Elim International Church Tuesday, Jessica Alston, 12, a member of the 88th Precinct Summer Youth Program who was waiting to march from the church to Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery in a procession following the funeral, said Davis had paid for her youth group to go on numerous summer trips to the movies, outdoor parks and amusement parks.
“He helped us to get trips to Dorney Park and Sesame Place Amusement Park in Pennsylvania,” said Alston, who is from Bedford Stuyvesant. “He was supposed to be our guest speaker in two weeks.”
Reach reporter Tien-Shun Lee by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com, or call 718-229-0300, ext. 155.
