When Will the Madness End??
 

I don't know how I will get to school. All those trains take me to school and the bus will take longer

New York Councilman dies of gunshot wounds
 

N.Y. Councilman Dies in City Hall Gunfire
2 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - A gunman opened fire inside City Council chambers Wednesday afternoon during a routine meeting, killing a councilman and wounding another person on a second-floor balcony.


AP Photo


AP Photo
Slideshow: Shooting at NY City Hall




Brooklyn Councilman James Davis, a former police officer, died after being shot twice in the chest, a city official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.


Davis, an outspoken presence on the council, joined the police department in 1983 after he was allegedly beaten by two white officers.


In 1991, Davis, who is black, started "Love Yourself Stop the Violence," a not-for-profit organization founded to address growing urban violence.


At least a dozen shots echoed across the second floor of the landmark lower Manhattan building, with people diving for cover one floor below as the hall's rotunda filled with screams. Police evacuated the building following the shooting.


"It was so loud you couldn't hear the direction," said City Council photographer Dan Luhmann. "At first, it was absolute stillness. And then people rushed out and ducked under their desks and it was chaotic."


The shooter was one of about 100 people in the balcony inside the second-floor council chambers when the gunfire began after 2 p.m, according to eyewitnesses.


"I looked up, and I saw someone shooting downward," said City Council member David Yassky. A security guard returned fire, according to Yassky.


Police sought a man in a blue suit in connection with the shooting, which continued for about three minutes.


Security, particularly since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was amped up at City Hall. Metal detectors were installed at either end of the plaza outside the building, along with metal barricades.


The two victims were rushed from the front of the building on stretchers, loaded into ambulances and brought to New York University Downtown Hospital with gunshot wounds, said hospital spokeswoman Vanessa Warner.


An emergency worker said the two victims were lying side by side in the balcony, both with bullet wounds to the chest.


Police officers, including some in riot gear, were seen running across the plaza in front of the building once the shooting stopped. It was not immediately known if the shooter was captured.


The City Council was holding a meeting on Wednesday, but council member Peter Vallone Jr. said there was nothing controversial on the day's agenda.


The entrances and exits to the building were sealed off, and a stretcher was rushed inside by police in flak jackets.

The second victim died. They are now saying that this is the shooter, a former political rival of James Davis who had purportedly joined Davis' team.

A frigging sad mess I tell ya!!! :mad: :(

All I can say is, heads are gonna roll in City Hall and the City better prepare itself for a lawsuit for breach of security.

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2003/US/Northea....davis.ny1.jpg

COUNCILMAN JAMES DAVIS

A Brooklyn native and former police officer, Councilman James Davis, D-Brooklyn, has been involved in public policy since 1983, when he was falsely arrested (and, he said, beaten) for stealing a car that was, in fact, his mother's.

After graduating from Pace University, Davis became a corrections officer at New York's infamous Rikers Island. In 1991 he went to work for the Transit Police, then transferred to the NYPD in 1993. Later that same year, he went to work as a social science instructor at the police academy.

Davis headed "LOVE YOURSELF" Stop the Violence, a non-profit organization he founded in 1990. Among other efforts, the group in 1994 convinced Toys 'R' Us to stop selling realistic-looking toy guns. Davis was elected to the New York City Council in November 2001.

Oh my goodness. I've been kicking it with you guys and I didn't even know. I have to call my sister. Later ya'll.

Thanks to Honeykiss & Fee Fee for posting the most updated information.

I heard about the shooting from a customer at my job and its really disheartening. Its great that Davis was able to overcome the arrest and become a councilman.

My prayers are with his family.





soulfulremix

This is truly sad....Ironically, Channel 7 news has reported that Councilman Davis has a picture of Malcolm X over his desk at his office...now he has died in the same manner as Malcolm X.

My prayers and sympathy go out to his family.


MortishaDST

Now, thats deep. :(





soulfulremix

I saw this yesterday on the news when I got home. What I want to know is how did he get the gun by the metal detectors? Also it was reported that Mr. Davis had a gun as well in his ankle holster but couldn't get to it in time, again what is it with these guns getting by the metal detectors. Was it because one was a councilman, and the other was his opponent and they were known in city hall, so they didn't have to go thru the metal detectors. If this was the case, that is crazy, you see what happened right.

Yes...that is exactly what happened and anyone with a council person can bypass security also. This is going to stop. Even Mayor Bloomberg has to pass through the detectors now.

Unfortunately it had to take Mr. Davis's death to warrant this new rule. :(

It's sickening!!!

For whatever reason, it always takes an unfortunate tragedy for the security to realize how serious it is for EVERYONE to go through the metal detectors. Just because someone is familiar, or has a high position, doesn't stop them from reaching their breaking point.

What's the point of spending ALL this money on these things, and not have them used properly!!! If they aren't going to be used then put the money to good use, like our school funding.

My prayers go out to Councilman Davis' family.

In order to get into the courts in NYC, you must pass through the metal detectors and have your bag searched. They are very strict about that. I was stopped for a while because my hair barrette set off the alarm. I was really surprised to learn that the same security wasn't in place at City Hall. Apparently, security waved the City Council members and the people with them through bypassing the metal detectors. This is how the shooter was able to get the gun in the building. The police officer who shot the gunman was given a commendation from the Mayor today.

This is such a tragedy. I feel so sorry for the Councilman, his family, friends, and collegues. :(

To fill in a couple of holes...
 

The problem with security procedures was the councilmembers themselves - if you were walking with a councilmember they would get upset if security stopped a someone in their "entourage" to be searched - it was at their insistence that tag-a-longs were able to bypass security. As of 5pm yesterday everyone including the Mayor goes through the detector-no matter how long the lines are. Trust-if Bloomberg had tried to enforce this on his own prior to yesterday's tragedy there would have been holy heck raised over such a minor issue.

Mr. Davis was a retired police officer carrying a licensed weapon. Apparently the assassin caught him completely off guard when he started shooting. Its almost a blessing that Davis wasn't able to reach for his gun-there were a lot of bystanders in the balcony.

I knew Mr. Davis personally and was shocked when I got home and heard what happened. A sad day indeed.

BTW- the officer that killed the assassin was promoted to Detective today.

Has anyone said what the killers motive was, if any?

Othniel Askew's motive has not been determined as of yet, but there's a general consensus that he may have been mentally disturbed, to say the least. :(

James's brother, Geoffrey was on Good Day New York this morning talking about his brother's death. From what I gathered, Geoffrey is probably more than willing to follow in the footsteps of his older brother.

No funeral arrangements have been made. James's body is still in the hospital morgue.

I'm still having a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that yet another young and great African-American male leader was cut down so soon. :( :(

There is a lot of speculation all over the news. One source said Davis was going to expose Askew's gay life style and HIV status. A search of Askew's apartment found HIV and anti-depressant drugs.

It was also reporteed that Askew was trying to get Davis to sign some contract stating that Askew would become Councilman if Davis died in office. :eek: Hello???

So much drama coming to the surface.

Yeah, I did hear about his HIV status, but didn't know about the anti-depressants. He prolly needed some anti-psychotic medication to go along with the others. Did you see that fool on the cover of today's paper (I think it was the Daily News)??? It looks like he was trying to be a model or something in the past. :eek: The pose looked kinda creepy. The TV news also showed Askew's house, and one of his neighbors said that Askew would be up late at night, around 2:30 making repairs to the house (why was he making repairs to the outside of the house at an ungodly hour???? :eek: ). The outside of his home has been taped off by the NYPD.

I think he was set up by the authorities. :o Why? Because Askew called the FBI earlier that day. Probably to let them know that everything was going as planned.:rolleyes:
The only reason I say this is because Askew was suppose to be running for city council but he did not raise any money. He had no supporters. On the night of the shooting, 1 of Askew's neighbors said, in the past, Askew was always wild and had a reputation of being crazy in the neighborhood. She said she grow up with him and was not surprised at all. He could not have competed against Davis if he tried.

I did not hear Askew had HIV but I heared he had his will sitting out on the table when the police searched his house.

Davis' body arrived at City Hall at noon today.

He represented my district in Brooklyn and he always voted for the people. I can't find his voting record but...

Davis asked Toys "R" Us to stop selling toy guns because 2 children in the New York area were shot, 1 killed, by police officers :mad: who thought that the toy guns were real.

That same month, he asked MTV to stop playing violent video's between the hours of 6am & 11pm.

The councilman wrote: "Too many youths graduate from juvenile detention centers, go on to jail, then go to prison upstate. We have to stop that cycle. Something is wrong when a detention center fails to rehabilitate but instead leads a youth into a permanent life of crime.

Mayor Bloomberg has put $64.5 million in the budget to expand detention centers. I feel the money should not go into detention, but into prevention." (James Davis March 22, 2002)

He fought the last fare hike that NYers are currently paying. $2 one way is the current fare. $7 for an all day pass. It's outrageous. He fought to keep the token booth clerks. He felt that they were the eyes and ears of the train system. As a former Transit Policeman he would know.

He even visited my church once. Holy Trinity Baptist Church. He was a good man. I wonder who will replace him.:( :confused:

I went over to City Hall this afternoon to pay my respects. His brother Geoffrey said hello to everyone and thanked us for giving his family support in their time of bereavement. Although I saw Councilman Davis laying in the casket, I still can't believe that he is gone from us. :( :(

I wanted to see him and pay my respects too. I heard he was at the House of Hills on Sterling St. and Rogers from 1pm to 9pm yesterday. Not when I went. The news said thousands attended. I'm glad you got to go.

Actually, he was at the St. John's/Brooklyn Avenue House of Hills location. They had the street closed off to traffic. On my way home from church I saw a block full of people lined up to go inside to pay their respects. If you read today's Daily News, there should be a picture of him laying in the casket w/ Mayor Bloomberg viewing him.

I did not like that graphic picture in today's Daily News.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/sto...0p-94746c.html


For some reason it did not seem like House of Hills better work. I decided against going to City Hall yesterday, but I am glad so many paid their respects.

NYC COUNCILMAN SHOOTER ... Friend or foe?


(Jul. 28, 2003) Just a day after NYC (Brooklyn) Councilman James Davis was gunned down at City Hall last week, two different stories surfaced about the attacker, 31-year-old Othniel Askew. Some called Askew a political rival, while others described the man as a Davis protégé.
Askew on the other hand, painted a different picture of Davis is his statements to the FBI hours before the shooting. He told the FBI that Davis offered him $45,000 to give up a primary election challenge and threatened to hurt his family if he did not. Askew also rambled, as investigators described, something about Davis exposing him as gay, offering him $15,000 a year for a no-show staff job, and selling him a downtown building for $1.

At this point, no one has corroborated Askew’s claims.

Askew showed up at Davis’ offices in Brooklyn last Wednesday, as he often had, and asked Davis if they could go to City Hall together. Davis agreed and the two were waved past metal detectors when entering the building.

Members of Davis' staff say the councilman considered himself a mentor to the 31-year-old Askew. They said there was no indication in the final weeks of Davis' life that there was bad blood between the two.

Davis' funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in Brooklyn. His body will lie in state at City Hall this afternoon.



http://www.eurweb.com//images/072820...niel_askew.jpg

Othniel Askew was interviewed by New York TV station WCBS just days before he shot and killed NYC/Brooklyn Councilman James Davis

Village Voice on "Neil" Askew
 

http://villagevoice.com/issues/0331/goldstein.php

Also features a picture of him:

http://images.villagevoice.com/issue.../goldstein.jpg