Outside Manhattan's criminal courthouse on Monday, a scuffle broke out among demonstrators. On one side were supporters of Daniel Penny, a former Marine charged with fatally choking a fellow subway rider, Jordan Neely. They held signs, including one that said, “Daniel Penny deserves a prize not a prison.” On the other side were people protesting on behalf of Neely. As the sides exchanged barbs, a jury concluded that Penny was not guilty The verdict in the death of Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man who had struggled with mental health problems, quickly became yet another flashpoint in the debate over how best to address issues of crime and justice, homelessness and mental illness, the New Y9rk Times reports.
Republican figures including Vice President-elect JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr. and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani praised the jury and criticized District Attorney, Alvin Bragg for pursuing the case. "Thank God justice was done in this case,” Vance said on social media. “It was a scandal Penny was ever prosecuted in the first place.” Giuliani called Penny a hero who deserved a medal. Some found the verdict deeply troubling. “This decision highlights a deep-seated societal discomfort with unhoused individuals in need of support, and effectively green-lights ‘vigilante justice’ against the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” leaders of the City Council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus and Progressive Caucus said. Penny and Neely encountered each other on the afternoon of May 1, 2023. Penny, an architecture student, had left class and was on his way to the gym when he boarded an uptown train. Neely, a former Michael Jackson impersonator, entered the subway car and immediately began yelling about his hunger, according to witnesses, many of whom described his behavior as frightening. Some residents saw Neely as the embodiment of a system that had broken down, letting vulnerable people slip through the cracks. For others, it was emblematic of high-profile crimes on the subways, many involving homeless and mentally ill people, and evidence of the city’s inability to keep residents safe.
Comments