NYCivic - Death in the Afternoon

Death in the Afternoon
By Henry J. Stern
July 25, 2003

   In the aftermath of the slaying of Councilman James E. Davis in the City Council chamber on July 23, the four major New York City dailies provided extensive coverage of the crime and detailed articles about the murderer, the victim, and the political milieu in their neighborhood, Fort Greene. They also described the volatile situation that preceded the assassination.

The murderer, Othniel Boaz Askew, was a gay man, HIV positive, a former model, depicted jumping half-naked in a "photo exclusive" on page one of the July 25 Daily News. The victim, Councilman Davis, probably disparaged Askew's sexuality when, on being asked in June whether he knew Askew, he said, "I never heard of him? Or her?" When Askew complained about Davis to the FBI by telephone on July 22, the day before the shooting, he said that Davis had threatened to expose him as a gay man. In a situation which bears a slight resemblance to 9/11, the FBI appears never to have told Davis that the complaint had been made. If Davis had known that, he might not have allowed Askew to accompany him to City Hall.

Askew and his friends had collected signatures on nominating petitions to challenge Davis for the Council seat, but they were never filed. When I called the Board of Elections, I was told that the Board remained open until midnight July 10, the legal deadline for filing petitions. Davis did not challenge Askew's signatures, although he would have had they been filed. Askew attributed his failure to file to "human incompetency".   The Daily News reported on July 25 that Askew "apparently tried to submit his petitions minutes before a filing deadline on July 10 but was turned away by Board of Elections officials."    Chris Riley, public information officer for the Board of Elections, says that the Board was open to midnight on July 10, and that Askew did not come to the Board headquarters at 32 Broadway.

Nonetheless, on July 15, Askew appeared late in the evening at the Board of Elections to file a disclosure statement. He checked a box indicating that neither the receipts nor the expenditures of the campaign exceeded $1000. It is not clear why he would file these forms if he had not filed his petitions on July 10. Askew's campaign treasurer is listed as Joseph Raby of 45 West 21st Street. The telephone number listed for Raby is that of Sunshine Realty, also at that address. Mr. Raby's statement was time-stamped as having been submitted to the Board of Elections six weeks earlier, on June 2.

The Times reported on July 25 that a woman who worked in Askew's campaign said that he told her that he had given Councilman Davis his petitions, which she estimated had three times the number of required signatures. This is implausible; no one in politics gives his petitions to his opponent, that is like giving your child to the wolf. Davis's staff said that Askew had recently been seeking a job, phoning and appearing at the Councilman’s neighborhood office. While Councilman Davis accepted Askew as part of his entourage, he did not provide him with employment.

From reading the accounts of the last week, it is clear that Askew was mentally ill, and probably had been for some time. Whether he was afraid of being outed, or that his criminal record in beating up his roommate would come to light, or that he had no job and no prospects, the demons within him took charge. He had bought the silver handgun over two years ago in North Carolina, but there is no evidence that he used it until the last moments of his life. Davis' staff and others now recognize the instability in Askew's behavior, but if their boss welcomed him, that settled the issue of his presence. It may be that Davis enjoyed the pleasure of Askew’s company, or that he was trotting him around like a captured warrior.   On the day he died, Askew looked good and dressed well.

Politics, like other fields where there is high public exposure, attracts some people who are emotionally challenged. Indeed, it is said that such a condition is a pre-requisite, or at least an advantage, in a political career. So it is not unusual to have oddballs of all kinds in campaigns and at headquarters. Daniel Wolf, founder of the Village Voice and one of the great editors of his time, talked about "useful psychotics" in both politics and journalism. And Lenin is said to have referred to Western apologists for the Soviet Union as "useful idiots."

But failed ambition and exaggerated self-importance do not usually lead to murder, followed by what is called police-assisted suicide. And the choice of City Hall as the scene of the crime assures martyrdom for Councilman Davis and infamy for his murderer, whose appearance and intelligence were no match for the demons in his mind.