Submitted to Our Time Press
by David of the D12M.com
New York, N.Y. – The issue of a poor non-violent Black man, calling out for money/food on a NYC subway train, last Spring, and being attacked and choked to death lit a fire of disgust for many New Yorkers of various ages, races, religions and gender identities.
Several months later the issue is till hot.
On Monday, October 21st at about eight o’clock in the morning, in Lower Manhattan, rhythmic chants in support of Daniel Penny being convicted of choking Jordan Neely to, six months before, dominated the air in front of the Manhattan Criminal Court building at 100 Centre Street. The process of selecting 12 jurors for the trial began that day.
Loud chants of – “Justice for Who? Jordan Neely!” “Poverty is not a crime!” “Stop racist vigilantes” – could be heard bouncing off the exterior of buildings while a large throng of news media recorded.
Diversely focused organizations from across NYC participated in the outcries, including: The New York Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, Equality4Flatbush, ADNYC, Workers Movement for Liberation, bmb, Workers World Party, Bronx Anti-War Coalition, Audre Lorde Project, Palaver, NYC PSL, Stop Cop City NYC, Black People for Theory & Praxis, Freedom Agenda, and Focus Forward.
Christopher, a representative of the Stop the Killing Campaign, explained, “The facts are that on May 1st last year, a poor Black 30-year-old man – Jordan Neely – appeared on a NYC train calling out desperately for help.
“Mr. Neely was experiencing a crisis of poverty!” said Omowale Clay, Chair of the December 12th Movement.
“He was experiencing a crisis of hunger and homelessness! We can reasonably project that Jordan Neely was experiencing trauma from losing his mother as a young child. Whatever signs of mental illness that he began displaying in his adult life were undoubtably fertilized by a society that daily thrusts hostility at all poor people.”
“The brother is dead,” Omowale continued. “He had no weapon. He was a victim of hunger and homelessness and mental trauma. And the answer to that can’t be murder.”
The facts in this trial for the jury are simple. The only person on that train in Manhattan that became violent was Daniel Penny. He initiated violence! Daniel Penny, an ex-U.S. Marine soldier, jumped on Jordan Neely and put him in a chokehold that ended life. Begging for food or money doesn’t warrant a person being choked to death. Daniel Penny has been charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
Available video shows that Jordan Neely did not initiate violence to anyone on that train. Jordan Neely did not have a weapon. Jordan Neely only had a muffin in his pocket. Jordan Neely was suffering from poverty. Daniel Penny chose to use the moment of a poor Black man’s call for help to act out his underlying racist tendencies. Daniel Penny chose to continue applying a chokehold even when other passengers were helping to hold Jordan Neely. Daniel Penny killed Jordan Neely…. not in self-defense but rather in an arrogant flex of muscle to kill a nuisance. He must be held fully accountable under the law for his crime.
“Vigilantes feel that they can become the police solely because of the color of their skin and the color of their victim’s skin,” said Roger Wareham, Esq. of the International Association Against Torture.
Donte Mills, the attorney for the Neely family, said, “Someone got on the train and was screaming. And someone choked that person to death. Those things will never balance out. And there’s no justification that can make those things balance out.”
The $3 million dollars that Penny has raised is essentially a reward from others who also don’t like being disturbed by desperate voices of poverty, homelessness, and mental illness. Call your elected official and urge them to add their voice in support of Daniel Penny being held accountable.