LARRY DAVIS was born today, May 28, in 1966. As a youth, Davis was forced by the NYPD to deal drugs to pay off corrupt NYPD pigs. When Davis tried to get out the game, owing the crooked pigs some money, the police began searching for him. Though the cops would later say that they were seeking Davis for questioning in connection with four murders, Davis knew that the pigs were attempting to kill him because of his intimate knowledge of their corruption. The police threatened Davis' mother and told her that they intended to kill Davis. On November 19, 1986, an NYPD hit squad of 27 pigs, some of whom had been drinking alcohol, arrived at the door of Davis' sister's apartment in the Bronx, where Davis was hiding. The police, carrying at least one shotgun and at least one automatic weapon, rushed the door in a mass, failing to follow even their own operating procedure, and firing on Davis with a shotgun blast that grazed his head. Davis returned fire. In the ensuing shootout, the pigs shot up Davis' sister's apartment, where Davis' sister's children were present. Davis injured six pigs, two of them seriously, and escaped. Davis eluded capture for 17 days, despite a massive police manhunt and the active cooperation of the local news media. Knowing the bounty the police had on his head, Davis stayed undercover, spied on the pigs as they searched for him, and determined the best moment to negotiate his surrender. During the negotiation, Davis insisted that the FBI and media be present to ensure his safety. He surrendered on December 6, 1986. Davis was acquitted of the four murders and of the attempted murder of the police officers who invaded his sister's apartment. Davis was convicted of weapons possession charges and, while incarcerated, was beaten repeatedly by prison guards, leaving Davis partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair. The pigs succeeded in convicting Davis of another murder, and on February 20, 2008, while serving a 25-to-life sentence, Davis was murdered by another inmate. Davis insisted until the end that he was framed. For many Afrikans living in urban killing fields called ghettos and barrios, Larry Davis is a hero because he fought back against the crooked cops who walk among us, coercing, brutalizing, raping, and killing at will. Honor him on this, his Born Day. Honor him, on this, the day of the fallen. He was a Freedom Fighter.
