Editorial Content for The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In 1983, Michael Stewart was just another kid who came to New York City to pursue a dream. He was an artist, a deejay and a model, enjoying the downtown club scene and working hard at his jobs.
The 25-year-old wanted to make a name for himself --- and tragically he did just that by way of a brutal beating by New York City Transit Authority police after being caught tagging a subway wall at 14th Street. (Tagging is the name given to the spraying of an artist’s graffiti “tag” on a piece of public property.) The news was a blast heard around the world and cemented the young man’s name in the annals of the ’80s, along with the Central Park Five and the Preppy Killer.
Edgar Award-winning author Elon Green gives a complete rundown on Stewart, his untimely death, and the lasting consequences of that barbaric incident in his latest book, THE MAN NOBODY KILLED.
"Green is a good writer who brings the backdrop of the crazy ’80s into full 4K view. He demonstrates that Stewart deserved so much more than what he received, and the stretch of justice from that night to today has not grown as much as it should have."
Forty years after the murder, the case still holds many of the worst traits of the United States in the Go-Go decade, where money and violence took precedence over the hippie dream that died with the ’70s. The AIDS crisis, the racism exhibited through police activities, and the innocence of the young artists who thought that New York City would welcome them with open arms are all woven into this disturbing and well-paced story. Green has fashioned a thriller out of the incident and its outcome (and left out some of the sensitivity that I personally hoped would be an important part of the narrative). It is a wicked take on a wicked act that brings back some of the more intensive concerns about safety in this oppressive, gun-addled society.
The specifics of the story are not spared. Witnesses saw officers beat this defenseless young man with billy clubs, choke him with a nightstick, and dump him at Bellevue Hospital without a heartbeat. The book should’ve been marked with a trigger warning given US history and the continued mountain of bodies of men such as Stewart to whom civil rights movements like Black Lives Matter have been dedicated year after year. However, Green does not skimp on his personal story, so he becomes a brother, a son and a friend to everyone who reads the book.
And then there is the parade of artists and singers, including Madonna, Keith Haring, Spike Lee and Jean-Michel Basquiat, who joined journalists like Jimmy Breslin, Murray Kempton and WNBC's Gabe Pressman to raise awareness of the killing and ask constant questions about the case, especially as the police suffered no real consequences. Stewart’s family called for justice, using the platform the stars provided, and several investigations were launched into his wrongful death.
Green is a good writer who brings the backdrop of the crazy ’80s into full 4K view. He demonstrates that Stewart deserved so much more than what he received, and the stretch of justice from that night to today has not grown as much as it should have.
If only THE MAN NOBODY KILLED could be considered a fable, a final story about how the old oppressive powers of greedy authorities were taken to task and protections created for vulnerable young people. However, knowing that this brutality could have happened just the other day hopefully will help everyone work harder for police watchdogging.
Teaser
At 25 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 1980s 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 13 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.
Promo
At 25 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 1980s 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 13 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.
About the Book
The first comprehensive book about Michael Stewart, the young Black artist and model who was the victim of a fatal assault by police in 1983, from Elon Green, the Edgar Award-winning author of LAST CALL.
At 25 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 1980s 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 13 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 1980s 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.
Audiobook available, read by Dion Graham
