Hate victim mourned
Blas speaks at rites
Saturday’s celebration of Timothy Caughman’s life couldn’t avoid the stark fact that he died allegedly at the hands of an avowed racist.
“He was attacked for who he was, plain and simple,” Mayor de Blasio said at Caughman’s Queens funeral. “It was an attack on New York City.”
Caughman, 66, whose family described him as “a very friendly man who never met a stranger,” was stabbed to death March 20.
His accused slayer, James Harris Jackson, allegedly told cops he killed Caughman simply because he was black.
Friends, family and supporters packed the pews at Mount Zion Baptist Church in South Jamaica, where Caughman’s father was once a minister.
“He had a huge heart and he loved his family. It’s tragic that he had to die in such a hateful way.” said his cousin, Khadijah Peek.
Peek, 24, fought tears as she read two poems during the service.
“We have to fight that hate,” she said. “We have to acknowledge that hate crimes happen in the world and figure out what causes it and address it, instead of just addressing the symptoms. It starts with a conversation, a real conversation.”
Caughman relished conversation. He frequently took bus trips to Washington, DC, to witness Congress in action, and would have lunch with other Americans visiting the Capitol and discuss issues of the day.
He was also a movie buff who watched the crowds for famous faces. Photos of Caughman alongside celebrities like Beyoncé, Susan Lucci, D.L. Hughley and gymnast Gabby Douglas were featured in his funeral program.
“His true vocation was really photography,” said his brother-in-law, Charles Johnson. “Being in Manhattan, going around collecting cans for recycling, he’d get to see quite a few stars and therefore he could take photographs with them.”
Caughman was nicknamed “Hard Rock” when he played basketball as a youth. “Whatever he did, Tim went hard,” said his friend Michael Welch, 66. the