The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York is the first comprehensive book about Michael Stewart, the young Black artist and model who died after a fatal assault by the police in 1983.
At twenty-five years old, Michael Stewart was 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 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 New York’s downtown arts community demanded justice for Michael, leading to multiple investigations into the circumstances of his wrongful death.
In stores March 11, 2025. Preorder a copy at Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, Powells, or wherever you buy books.
