A viral altercation between Marine veteran Daniel Penny and a homeless man threatening people on a subway, Jordan Neely, has attracted differing opinions from people mainly depending on their political orientation.
The interaction ended in Neely’s death and Penny’s arrest as he faced charges for second-degree manslaughter in Manhattan, where controversial District Attorney Alvin Bragg decided to press charges.
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During a press conference with Jordan Neely’s attorney, he said that people on the train should have offered to help Neely, who said he was struggling with money and mental health issues.
"No one on that train asked Jordan, 'What's wrong? How can I help you?' He was choked to death instead," Jordan Neely's family attorney tells reporters. pic.twitter.com/UTxR9yreR4
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 12, 2023
“No one on that train asked Jordan, ‘What’s wrong? How can I help you?’ He was choked to death instead,” Jordan Neely’s family attorney tells reporters.
A report by the New York Times indicates that the government did attempt to help him on multiple occasions throughout the 40 separate times that he was arrested.
Before Neely died, he had an arrest warrant out for absconding from court-ordered treatment at a mental health facility.
He was ordered to spend time in the facility rather than go to jail after he assaulted an elderly woman, punching her in the face and knocking her to the ground.
According to the New York Times, Neely was released from Rikers in February after pleading guilty to felony assault for punching a 67 year old woman in a subway station. His plea agreement arranged his release on the condition that he enter a residential treatment facility which…
— Daniel Friedman (@DanFriedman81) May 9, 2023
According to the report, Neely interacted with social workers throughout his adult life, and in most cases, he was not willing to work with them and even made violent threats against them.
“Mr. Neely was on what outreach workers refer to as the “Top 50” list — a roster maintained by the city of the homeless people living on the street whom officials consider most urgently in need of assistance and treatment. He was taken to hospitals numerous times, both voluntarily and involuntarily,” said a social worker who was familiar with Neely’s issues.
On April 8th, just weeks before his death, outreach workers attempted to approach him in the subway when he exposed himself and urinated in front of them. When one worker tried to call the police, he shouted, “Just wait until they get here; I got something for you; just wait and see.”
This was also in the paper you work for. But you make it seem so amazingly clear cut. https://t.co/VnjClMQyTK pic.twitter.com/VRaLzbYRRa
— Thomas Chatterton Williams (@thomaschattwill) May 8, 2023
Others have also pointed out that Penny’s charges, which could result in up to 15 years in jail, represent a two-tiered justice system emerging in big cities with liberal prosecutors.
Greg Price, a conservative commentator, mentioned that Neely only received four months in jail for the attempted kidnapping of a minor female. In contrast, Penny could receive a 15-year sentence if found guilty.
Jordan Neely got 4 months in jail for attempted kidnapping of a child and got no jail time for attempted murder of an elderly woman or any of the other 40+ charges on his rap sheet.
But the Marine who put him in a chokehold after he threatened to kill people on a train and tried… pic.twitter.com/6JqQnN5ilf
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 13, 2023
Advocates for better social services in New York and around the country have said that Neely’s death is a failure of the mental health and social care systems that allowed him to remain on the streets despite being erratic and sometimes violent.
“What we need to see is not a mobilization of violence, but a mobilization of care.” Said organizer Jawanza James.
Other stories you may want to read:
DeSantis Backs Defense Fund for Marine Vet Daniel Penny – ‘We Must Defeat the Soros-Funded DAs’
[Video] Protesters Block NYC Train and Fight NYPD Over Death of Jordan Neely
