Brooklyn's Progress
August 2003

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of New York City Councilman James E. Davis.  He was 41.

Councilman Davis represented the 35th District of Brooklyn, covering the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.  He served on the Council’s public safety committee and the committee on juvenile justice.

He was elected to City Council in November 2001.  He was also the Democratic State Committeeman for the 43rd Assembly District.

“Councilman James E. Davis was committed to bettering his community and he was an avid supporter of the Brooklyn Chamber’s economic development initiative,” Kenneth Adams, President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, said.  “We worked with him on a number of projects, most recently, graffiti removal and retail development through our Fulton FIRST Initiative.  He will be missed.  Our thoughts and our prayers go out to his family and friends.”

Mr. Davis was also the chairman and founder of “LOVE YOURSELF” Stop the Violence, a not-for-profit, voluntarily run organization dedicated to stopping violence in urban America.  His mission in life was to rid violence from urban communities.

In 1989, Mr. Davis joined the New York City Corrections Department and was assigned to Rikers Island for two years.  In 1991 he became a New York City Transit police officer.  In 1993, he transferred to the New York City Police Department and upon graduation was assigned to the 73rd Precinct in Brooklyn.  In 1993, after several months at the 73rd Precinct, Mr. Davis transferred to the Police Academy where he was a New York State certified Social Science instructor until 1998.  He was the Youth Officer at the 69th Precinct in Canarsie Brooklyn prior to his election to City Council.

James E. Davis was born on April 3, 1962.  He graduated from Tilden High School in 1980, and from Pace University in 1989 with a bachelor of arts degree.

The Councilman was fatally shot by a political rival during a City Council meeting on July 23, 2003.  The gunman, Othneil Askew, 31, was then fatally shot by a police officer.  Funeral services for Councilman Davis were held on July 29, at Elim International Church in Brooklyn.  He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetary (Cemetary of the Evergreens in Bushwick.)