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Old School Politics - Occhidiangela - 07-23-2003
If you check the New York Times tomorrow, you will likely read a story about a shoot out in the city council in Brooklyn wherein Councilman Davis and one of his political opponents, no kidding, got into a gun fight. Either that, or there was an assassination attempt, yet another "old school" American political tradition.
No, this is not Texas we are talking about, but The Big Apple, year 2003.
While hardly a true duel, reports are that one man pulled a gun on the other, hit him, the other shot back, hit the first, and according to the radio reports, they both died of their gunshot wounds not long after the lead started flying. Apparently Councilman Davis was shot first, and after being hit, he pulled his own weapon out and returned the favor, or perhaps by a policeman on the scene, it is hard to tell from early reports. If reports of Councilman Davis returning fire are exaggerated, this post is OBE.
/EDIT: Obviously, early reports were somewhat mistaken, and it was not so much a shootout as an assassination attempt. Pete's cut and paste from the article show a cruel irony. Councilman Davis was an staunch advoctate of cleaning up the streets and being more proactive about cutting down on crime in the streets.
/end EDIT
Much will doubtless be made in the ensuing weeks about how they got the guns into the council room in the first place. New York has very strict gun laws. In this case, unfortunately, it appears that at least one of the lawmakers doesn't feel bound by them. What hope have we that anyone with even remotely criminal leanings will respect the gun laws of New York?
/tongue inserts into cheek
In the old days, when two politicians were moved to engage in violent disagreement, they set up a duel, had seconds, etc. See Hamilton and Burr, or the even notorious General Benedict Arnold's habit of challenging folks to a duel at any imagined slight or affront. These days, no one seems to take the time to do it right: it's all instant gratification, no sense of style, no sense of decorum. Did the assailant also shout "You suxor, noob, I am gonna pwn joo?" Probably not.
/tongue out of cheek
Sadly, all sophomoric comments from me aside, two men active in New York politics, in Brooklyn, are dead. Each of them probably started out with lofty goals and an aim to make things better in their little corner of the world.
What a shame that is ended this way.
RIP Councilman Davis. :(
Old School Politics - --Pete - 07-23-2003
Hi,
The following is from http://www.comcast.net/News/DOMESTIC//XML/...363ac7179e.html
N.Y. City Hall Shootings Leave 2 Dead
A gunman who managed to bring a weapon into City Hall opened fire inside City Council chambers Wednesday afternoon, killing a councilman who crusaded against urban violence. A plainclothes police officer shot and killed the assailant, police sources said.
The shooter was a political opponent of the councilman, and had accompanied him into the building before the shooting, a police source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The gunman's ties to the councilman apparently allowed him to bypass security, the source told The Associated Press.
"Obviously, there was a breakdown someplace," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was in his office at the time of the attack and unharmed.
Brooklyn Councilman James Davis, a former police officer and outspoken presence on the council, died after being shot twice in the chest, a city official told the AP, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
The gunman died a short time later at a hospital, according to police sources. The two mortally wounded men were found lying side by side in the balcony overlooking the chambers.
Davis, who was 41 and black, joined the police department in 1993, 10 years after he was beaten by two white officers, according to his Web site.
In 1991, Davis founded "Love Yourself Stop the Violence," a not-for-profit organization dedicated to stopping violence in urban America. He was elected in 2001, and was a minister.
The killer was sitting in the balcony near Davis when he suddenly shot the councilman, police sources said. The security officer, who was on the floor of the chamber, shot up at the gunman, striking him five times, according to the sources.
At least a dozen shots echoed across the second floor of City Hall, sending people diving for cover beneath their desks as the rotunda filled with screams.
"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 on the balcony inside the second-floor council chambers when the gunfire erupted after 2 p.m, according to eyewitnesses.
Security had been stepped up at City Hall since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In addition to the installation of metal detectors, a uniformed police officer is posted at the gate.
Employees, reporters with current press passes and police officers are not required to pass through metal detectors.
Police officers, including some in riot gear, swarmed nearby streets and the plaza in front of the building once the shooting stopped. The entrances and exits to the building were sealed, and subways going into the City Hall station and nearby stations were shut down for about an hour. The Brooklyn Bridge was also shut down briefly.
___
Associated Press writers Tom Hays and Michael Weissenstein contributed to this story.
I'll reserve both comment and opinion when the "facts" are actually revealed. But, yes, it is a shame that the duel is no longer legal or popular -- much more "civilized" way to kill your opponents (or stop being bugged by them) :)
--Pete
Old School Politics - Doc - 07-23-2003
Hmm dueling dead? I think not. Come down and visit the South some time. There is the Southern Gentleman's Dueling league just down the road from me. They use pistols that look like the classic flintlocks but actually fire a single painball shot. No armor, no protection, no face mask. They dress in nice suits and shoot to "kill."
And yes, just as in the old days, the challenge is delivered acrossed your cheek with a heavy leather glove.
I say good Sir, but I reckon that I must demand satisfaction!
Rather sad to hear about bloody politics, but that's the nature of the game to begin with.
Poly, from latin, meaning many. Tics, meaning small blood sucking creatures. Poly tics, many small blood sucking creatures.
Old School Politics - [wcip]Angel - 07-23-2003
I can't possibly be the only one thinking about The Simpsons right now!
Old School Politics - keenduck - 07-24-2003
Well, at least Councilperson Davis, being a former police officer, was entitled to carry a handgun (or least according to the news reports I was listening to).
The other guy was apparently trying to run for his seat. How killing your opponent raises your chance of getting elected baffles me. :unsure: