The man nobody killed : life, death, and art in Michael Stewart's New York / Elon Green.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Green, Elon, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stewart, Michael (Michael Jerome), 1958-1983.

Stewart, Michael.

Police brutality--New York (State)--New York--Case studies.

Police brutality.

African Americans--Violence against--New York (State)--New York--Case studies.

African Americans.

African American artists--New York (State)--New York--Case studies.

African American artists.

New York (N.Y.)--Race relations.

New York (N.Y.).

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

x, 271 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Celadon Books, [2025]

Summary:

"The first comprehensive book about Michael Stewart, the young Black artist and model who died after an altercation with the police in 1983, from Elon Green, the Edgar Award-winning author of Last Call. At twenty-five years old, Michael Stewart was a young Black aspiring artist, deejay, and model, looking to make a name for himself in the vibrant downtown art scene of the early 1980's New York City. On September 15, 1983, he was brutally beaten by New York City Transit Authority police for allegedly tagging a 14th Street subway station wall. Witnesses reported officers beating him with billy clubs and choking him with a nightstick. Stewart arrived at Bellevue Hospital hog-tied with no heartbeat and died after thirteen days in a coma. This was, at that point, the most widely noticed act of police brutality in the city's history. The Man Nobody Killed recounts the cultural impact of Michael Stewart's life and death. The Stewart case quickly catalyzed movements across multiple communities. It became a rallying cry, taken up by artists and singers including Madonna, Keith Haring, Spike Lee, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, tabloid legends such as Jimmy Breslin and Murray Kempton, and the pioneering local news reporter, Gabe Pressman. The Stewart family and the downtown arts community of 1980s New York demanded justice for Michael, leading to multiple investigations into the circumstances of his wrongful death. Elon Green, the Edgar Award-winning author of Last Call, presents the first comprehensive narrative account of Michael Stewart's life and killing, the subsequent court proceedings, and the artistic aftermath. In the vein of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace and His Name is George Floyd, Green brings us the story of a promising life cut short and a vivid snapshot of the world surrounding this loss. A tragedy set in stark contrast against the hope, activism, and creativity of the 1980's New York City art scene, The Man Nobody Killed serves as a poignant reminder of recurring horrors in American history and explores how, and for whom, the justice system fails"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The park

The Fab 500

Glasgow

Berserk

The talk of the day

10-85

The eyes of Michael Stewart

Pressman

Madonna

Stop protecting killer cops

Radiant children

Mr. Morgenthau declines to meet

The Gross report

New York City pigs

Private detective

Absolute secrecy

An unsworn witness

Eleanor Bumpurs

Simultaneous probes

Here's another

Failure to protect

Richochet

The students

Rested

No evidence of racism

Remember Michael Stewart.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781250898227

1250898226

OCLC:

1429658878