LOVE & ANGUISH
Slain by a racist, mourned by a city
THE CRUEL TWIST of fate that left lovable Timothy Caughman stabbed to death in a racist hate crime weighed heavily on mourners gathered Saturday for his Queens funeral.
“He had a huge heart, and he loved his family,” said his cousin Khadijah Peek, 24, at the service filled with fond memories and gospel music. “It’s very tragic that he had to die in such a hateful way.”
Caughman, 66, was remembered fondly inside the Jamaica church where his father once served as a minister, with Mayor de Blasio and wife Chirlane McCray joining close to 200 mourners.
The mayor described the March 20 killing, where a white supremacist was charged with plunging the 18-inch blade of a sword through Caughman’s chest, as an assault on all New Yorkers. “He was attacked because of who he was, plain and simple,” de Blasio said in his eulogy at the Mount Zion Baptist Church. “Eight-and-a-half million people were attacked that night.”
Suspect James Jackson, 28, took a bus north from Baltimore on a mission of racist mass murder, intent on killing as many black men as possible upon arrival in New York, cops said.
He remains behind bars, accused of murder as an act of terrorism for his unprovoked attack on the Caughman — known to family and friends as “Hard Rock” for his prowess as a teenage boxer.
The mayor, who spoke for about 10 minutes, observed the tragic disparity between Caughman’s life and his stunning death.
“He understood what was good around us,” said de Blasio. “He obviously had love for his fellow human being . . . He only wanted to do good and be good.”
City Public Advocate Letitia James, in her eulogy, encouraged the mourners to say a prayer for the unrepentant suspect.
“We pray for that man and we pray for all of those individuals who unfortunately are sickened
by hate,” James said. “We recognize that ignorance is the cousin of hate.”
She demanded justice for Caughman.
“Death has no sting to it,” she continued. “The only thing that has sting is hate.”
Caughman was laid out in a green African dashiki, white gloves and a brown leather hat. His body rested inside a gold coffin with a huge bouquet of flowers at his feet for a wake preceding the funeral — where mourners celebrated his life with handclaps and song.
Family friend Portia Clark said she never failed to stop and speak with Caughman whenever they crossed paths.
“I knew I had to slow on down and start talking,” she recalled. “That’s exactly what would happen, but it was a beautiful thing.
“... Every time this happened the conversation was so enlightening and so educational. And I thank you, Tim, for that.”
De Blasio joined her in paying homage to Caughman’s people skills.
“That ability to talk to anyone and everyone at all times about anything — well, that makes him a true New Yorker, don’t you think?” asked the mayor. “He grew up in faith, and carried that with him.”
The mortally wounded Midtown resident staggered into the Midtown South Precinct after the unprovoked attack at W. 36th St. and Ninth Ave. while he was searching for returnable cans and bottles.
Caughman, despite his modest means, rubbed elbows with celebrities throughout his life.
In his younger days, Caughman promoted concerts by the band Earth, Wind & Fire and poet/musician Gil Scott-Heron. As he grew older, he collected selfies taken with stars like Susan Lucci, Ben Vereen, Beyoncé and Blair Underwood.
“I’d say he leaves behind a very virtuous and positive and optimistic legacy,” Peek said. “I’m going to miss having that influence in my life, and his spirit lives on through us.”
Suspect Jackson picked the city for his carnage because he wanted as much media attention as possible for his carnage.
He surrendered to police two days later after stalking — but not killing — other African-American men. He now faces the possibility of a life sentence without parole if convicted on the terrorism charge.
Peek suggested the stabbing of Caughman over the color of his skin could perhaps turned into a positive.
“We can only learn from this situation and fight that hate,” said Peek, who came down from Albany for the funeral. “It starts with a real honest conversation, and not just glazing over the issue.”