Killing of David Henry Breaux

David Henry Breaux (died April 27, 2023), better known as "the Compassion Guy", was an American activist and author in Davis, California. An unhoused man, Breaux had been known for his interactions with residents and passersby in Davis, where he habitually sat on a bench at the corner of Third and C streets and asked passersby to contribute to a notebook with their definition of compassion. In April 2023 he was murdered as the first victim in a series of stabbings.

Early life and education

Breaux's mother was a Jamaican immigrant who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. His father was French-Creole and worked as a janitor and was physically and emotionally abusive. He had an older sister and an older brother. He was raised in Duarte, California.

Breaux graduated from Stanford University, where he majored in urban studies.

The compassion guy

After a breakup with a girlfriend, Breaux became dejected and began "searching for inspiration", according to the New York Times. He discovered the work of Karen Armstrong, who argued that "compassion was inherent to peace". He gave away his possessions and moved to Davis in 2009.

Breaux typically carried a notebook with him, and asked passersby to contribute to it by writing their definition of compassion. Local residents and workers at businesses in the area considered him "a communal therapist of sorts", according to the Times. He was known as "The Compassion Guy".

In 2010 Breaux self-published an e-book, Compassion: A Compilation of Concepts on Compassion, created from the contributions to his notebook.

In 2013 the city of Davis commissioned a bench to be created at the corner of Third and C streets, which members of the community turned into public art and included the words "Compassion is..." Breaux sat on the bench, known as the Compassion Bench, daily.

Media

In 2010 a University of California Davis student created a documentary about Breaux.

Murder

Breaux was found dead in April 2023, the first in a series of stabbings in Davis. After a welfare check was called in, Davis Police officers found the body of Breaux on a bench in Central Park, located in downtown Davis across the street from the corner where Breaux interacted with passersby. He had suffered multiple stab wounds. He had been known to sleep on the bench.