David Breaux

David Henry Breaux, was known in the Davis community as “the Compassion Guy”, for his unique way of engaging community members by asking them to write down their definition of compassion in one of his many notebooks.

In 2010, a UC Davis student created a documentary about Breaux and his impact on the Davis community. The film was awarded "Best Documentary Film" at the 2011 UC Davis Film Festiva. l

In 2013, Breaux inspired the city of Davis to comission a compassion bench at the corner of Third and C streets, adorned with the words "Compassion is...”. Breaux sat on the bench daily and asked passersbys to define compassion as well as interviewed visitors about their views on empathy as part of a weekly YouTube series. Over the years, he collected thousands of responses and in 2011 published a book on the compilation titled Compassion: A Compilation of Concepts on Compassion before going on a community-funded Compassion Tour.

In April 2023, Breaux was tragically killed in a series of stabbings in Davis. His impact on the community will always be remembered. Following his death, the city of Davis turned his “Compassion Is…” bench into a landmark named “Compassion Corner” in memory of his legacy of empathy and kindness.