New York Democrats are split on how to respond to the death of a mentally ill homeless man who became out of control and was ultimately killed when passengers tried to restrain him, on Monday, leading to a spasm of activist protest.
As facts continue to emerge about the incident that took place on a subway train in Manhattan this week — where 24-year-old Daniel Penny, a former Marine, neutralized Jordan Neely amid an erratic outburst — Democrats are divided on how to respond to the event and ensuing protests by progressive activists.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was quick to respond in a wild series of tweets over the last few days, urging more outcry about Neely’s death, the homelessness crisis, and opining (with dubious anecdotes) about the conditions of New York’s mental health system and “the carceral state.”
“I have yet to hear a real explanation from any official hesitating to condemn the killing of Jordan Neely about what makes condemning this violence so ‘complicated.’ Killing is wrong. Killing the poor is wrong. Killing the mentally ill is wrong. Why is that so hard to say?,” Ocasio-Cortez shot off on Twitter Thursday. She continued in a thread:
I represent Rikers. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard from both COs and the incarcerated that there are people who commit petty crimes because their easiest way to get a bed and doctor. For many vulnerable communities – especially the mentally ill – we make living in jail easier than living out of it. That’s what happen when we defund everything but the carceral state.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) has made multiple statements on the incident, in what appears to be a tightrope walk between reserving judgment before all the facts are known and nodding to progressive interest groups who are ramping up pressure.
The first time she responded to a question about it was on Wednesday, when she avoided really giving a straight answer about what her thoughts are, other than dismay that there are homeless people loitering in the subway in the first place, following the “billion dollar investment” she has spent on mental health services.
“One element we have not talked about is the billion dollars investment we have in mental health services. So we don’t have people who are homeless in our subways, many of them in the throes of mental health episodes,” Hochul began.
She went on to stumble through the rest of her answer, saying something about “consequences” for one’s actions — staying vague on which party in the altercation she was referring to. Hochul continued:
There’s consequences for behavior. And I’ll look at it more closely to find out whether the state has a role. People who have been out on parole have different consequences, and a judge can make a decision on whether to hold someone or the DA can make a decision to charge them. But in the case where someone is on parole, then the state has an ability, as we’ve done before in more serious cases, to ensure that someone is held pending the outcome of the episode.
In another statement Thursday, Hochul appeared to modify her tone, calling the killing “horrific.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who was formerly a transit cop, took a more sober approach in a series of comments since the news blew up on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We don’t know exactly what happened here,” Adams said on CNN Tuesday night, adding, “We cannot just blatantly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that, and we should allow the investigation to take its course.”
In comments Thursday, Hizzoner reiterated that he wanted to let the investigation “follow its course.”
“I have faith in the criminal justice system and I’m going to let the process take its pace,” Adams said, according to the
Zoos SA via Storyful.
“I have been extremely clear that the district attorney and the police department, they’re doing their investigations and I’m going to respect that. There are many layers to this. Let the process follow its course.”
A flood of 9-1-1 calls reportedly came in Monday after Neely broke into an outburst on the F train, leading multiple passengers to intervene to restrain him. The calls included claims of a physical fight, and someone threatening riders.
According to NBC News, Neely was threatening passengers, reportedly saying, “I’ll hurt anyone on this train,” as he flailed around before being placed in a chokehold by Penny, which ultimately killed him after being held for 15 minutes.
Penny was taken into custody, but then was released, as Manhattan District attorney Alvin Bragg weighs charges, according to the Post. The Post is also reporting that a grand jury could be empaneled to look at the case as early as next week.
The Medical Examiner’s Office announced Wednesday that the death was “homicide by compression of the neck,” the Post reports.
Activists came out to protest in New York City on Wednesday, dubbing the incident a “black lives matter” issue — ignoring the spike in subway violence against all races in recent years, frequently perpetrated by mentally ill homeless people.
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