The passing of James Caldwell, leader of the 77th Precinct Council (and of BUILD)

I’m saddened to learn of the passing of James Caldwell. As President of the @NYPD77Pct Community Council, James worked tirelessly for the Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford Stuyvesant communities.

May he rest in peace.

— Tish James (@TishJames) May 27, 2021

From Stephen Witt yesterday in Politics NY,  James Caldwell, Pillar of Brooklyn’s Black Community, Dies at 69:

Mr. Caldwell, as I called him, was a mentor, source and friend. He trusted me to report on crucially important issues to his community such as the Third Party Transfer stories, which wound up saving millions of dollars of Black generational wealth. He also advised me on many personal and professional issues. I am devastated.

But as devastated as I am personally, it pales in comparison to what his loss means to Brooklyn’s Black community. For nobody, bar none looked out for and helped his community more selflessly than Mr. Caldwell.

He knew all the politicians and supported a good many of them. But if push came to shove, and it was a question of helping somebody out in the community or being politically expedient, he never flinched. He always sided with the community.

“Mr. Caldwell was like my uncle. He was the only one I gave license to yell at me and then he’d call me back a few days later, and he would laugh and pray with me and tell me how proud he was of me,” said New York State Attorney General Letitia James. “He loved his community and understood the issues of people of color. I’m going to miss him because he kept me honest and he stayed on me to make sure I was always representing the interests of the community and I will always put the community first and be there for the community. That will be his legacy. May he rest in peace.”

Memorial arrangements have not yet been announced.

Photo by Tracy Collins from
Atlantic Yards oversight hearing 5/29/09

Caldwell was best known for his long-time leadership of the 77th Precinct Community Council, a good many of them as president, and, in Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park circles, for his leadership of the now-defunct job-development group BUILD, Brooklyn United for Innovative Local Development, a staunch supporter of Atlantic Yards (which meant he and James were at odds).

There's a lot to say about that, given the winding path of BUILD, and about my most recent conversation with Caldwell, but I'll save that for another time. 

I will say that "Mr. C." was, indeed, a man of bedrock faith; a man whose political allegiances were driven by--as Witt points out--his sense of community; and a man who, even when he thought my coverage sometimes unfair, was personally warm and willing to forcefully-but-cordially disagree.

RIP, Mr. C. It was too soon.