Slain Councilman James E. Davis is about to join Abe Lincoln, Julius Caesar and James Garfield — other famously assassinated pols whose stories ended up on stage.
Sheila Lindsey’s new play about the Fort Greene Councilman, “Love Yourself, Stop the Violence — The James E. Davis Story,” will make its debut this Saturday.
The first part of the anticipated four-play fugue tells of Davis’s early years as a civic leader who advocated peace in the wake of the Crown Heights riots and ultimately founded an organization to combat urban violence.
“The play begins with the riots,” said Lindsey. “People are looting, and James says to [his brother] Geoffrey that he’s angry about what happened, but he wants to show that he’s a person of peace.”
Davis, who served as a Correction officer, cop, and councilman in his short life, was assassinated by a rival in a bizarre City Hall shooting in 2003 that made national headlines.
The following three plays will follow James through his political life, the assassination, and his legacy.
“We couldn’t have the assassination in this play,” said Geoffrey Davis. “One, because that’s not the story of this man’s life. And two, because I’m just not ready to face that yet.”
The play’s first public reading will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the All Stars Project, 543 West 42nd St. (bet. 10th and 11th avenues), 7 pm. For information, call (212) 941-1234.
