It's Almost Riot Season: The Left's New Cause Célèbre
You can be sad that Jordan Neely died the way he did without ignoring the fact that he also represented a credible threat to public safety.
A 30 year-old man died after he was put into a chokehold on a NYC subway. That headline alone sounds horrendous — he was murdered! cried the press and its left after they realized that the deceased, a violent and troubled man named Jordan Neely, was black and the person who performed the chokehold was a white, 24 year-old Marine. More:
Jordan Neely, 30, was on a northbound F train at the Broadway-Lafayette station when he began acting erratically at around 2:30 p.m. Monday, police said.
Authorities say he was harassing passengers and making threats when a 24-year-old stepped in and attempted to subdue him.
A physical struggle ensued, leading to Neely losing consciousness. He was rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
On Wednesday, a medical examiner determined Neely was killed by a chokehold (compression of the neck) and his death was ruled a homicide. However, that does not mean his case will be prosecuted as a homicide, that is up to the Manhattan DA's office, which is investigating.
Neely has a history of prior arrests and was known by the MTA and police, but many believe Neely did not need to die and there is growing backlash over the case.
The man who tackled Neely claimed he was stepping in to help fellow passengers who felt scared and threatened. But at a vigil for Neely on Wednesday afternoon, advocates said it was Neely who needed help most, and society failed him.
You can be sad that Jordan Neely died the way he did without ignoring the fact that he also represented a credible threat to public safety. Neely had a history of being more than just a menace on the subway, he had 44 prior arrests for offenses including assault, an active warrant out for felony assault, and was known to repeatedly threaten other passengers. He previously tried pushing people onto the train tracks and punched an elderly woman in the face:
This is why it’s not irrational to think he may have finally scared someone into thinking they had to defend themselves by using force, which is also sad.
The local press has included this very important aspect of the story, but the national press has predictably omitted it for the preferred narrative of George Floyd 2.0.
There are several separate issues at play here.
One: By all accounts and official records, Jordan Neely had a long history of terrorizing passengers. Whether from police reports or eyewitness accounts all over social media, Neely’s unchecked hostility created a ticking time bomb of a situation and someone at some point was going to credibly believe that their personal safety was threatened and react to defend themselves.
Two: This is the post-George Floyd era. To assume that the individual who put Neely in a chokehold did so because he was motivated by race is only possible if you view the world through the same lens of racial prejudice that you oppose. That multiple other passengers assisted to hold Neely suggests that the Marine wasn’t the only one who believed that Neely was dangerous and posed a threat.
Why does the left and the national press immediately grant benefit of the doubt to repeat offender Neely and not the Marine with zero priors and a record of service to his country?
If the left is capable of immediately assuming the best of Neely and the worst of the guy who engaged him, why do they also not imagine the fear from the other passengers and a witness-described situation so tense that strangers felt compelled to intervene? Why does the left and the national press immediately grant benefit of the doubt to repeat offender Neely and not the Marine with zero priors and a record of service to his country?
Three: As I said, Jordan Neely had a long history of terrorizing passengers of all ethnicities. Democrats like AOC want you to ignore this, to focus on class warfare (Neely was homeless, a situation that apparently affords an individual the right to threaten and assault people without expectation of penalty), on Neely’s Michael Jackson impersonation videos, so they can promote the narrative that Neely was “murdered” for being poor and black.
(AOC also once said that people were looting retail stores for “bread” to feed their children.)
I’m not sure who she thinks is the “demonized” party here, but I’m inclined to think it may be the people Neely terrorized, assaulted, threatened, and the individual who felt threatened enough to use physical force to stop Neely and didn’t realize that he was killing Neely instead of merely subduing him.
The real victimization comes by way of bad policy that destroyed the pillars of successful communities — family, faith, neighborly kinship — and supplanted them in favor of a synthetic support structure that is nothing more than over-reliance on an uncaring government.
AOC rushes without context to present a picture of a man victimized by everyone and everything other than perhaps himself. NYC has a $1 billion+ dollar mental health budget (with little to show for previous efforts) that feeds people through the system but doesn’t address root issues like the breakdown of families, communities, support systems, all localized networks historically relied upon to first identify and aid loved ones with mental health struggles. In the republic that is this social contract the state should be the last-ditch backup, not the first and only resource.
The real victimization comes by way of bad policy that destroyed the pillars of successful communities — family, faith, neighborly kinship — and supplanted them with a synthetic support structure that serves as nothing more than over-reliance on an uncaring government.
Four: Just because the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide doesn’t mean it will be prosecuted as such. That is up to the Manhattan D.A., Alvin Bragg — uh, actually, judging by Bragg’s previous attempts to criminalize self defense, he probably will pursue charges. Legally, it’s fair to examine the 24 year-old’s rear naked chokehold since the medical examiner determined the cause of death due to compression on Neely’s neck. If the defense is found to be excessive the 24 year-old may face charges. More:
Todd Spodek, a criminal defense attorney who has represented several high-profile clients, said District Attorney Alvin Bragg would likely reach for an involuntary manslaughter charge if he sought to bring the case to court.
“There’s no question that the [passenger] did not intend to commit murder here,” Spodek told The Post.
“So the question is, did his actions lead to the death of this strap hanger? And was he negligent to such a degree that he could be culpable for criminally negligent homicide?”
If he was found guilty, he could face several years in state prison, Spodek said.
Jason Goldman, a Big Apple criminal defense attorney, said prosecutors would have to weigh Neely’s actions before he was restrained, how long he was in a chokehold and any health conditions that may have contributed to his death — which was ruled a homicide by the city medical examiner later Wednesday.
“Charging intentional homicide would set the DA’s office up for an uphill battle,” Goldman said.
As mentioned, Bragg has a history of wrist-slapping career criminals and throwing the book at people forced to defend themselves due to the resulting recidivism and increased crime rate. I hope this Marine has a good lawyer.
I question the spiritual and heart health of those who promote the narrative that a 24 year-old saw an innocent and harmless black passenger and just decided that day to ruin both of their lives by choking him to death on the subway. I view with contempt the politicians who promote this to sow division for use as a fundraising pitch. I pity the people weak enough to believe such poison and those who grieve over the division it causes.
*ADDENDUM: He’s often wrong on issues but good on NYC Mayor Adams for being right on this one: Eric Adams slams AOC for calling Marine who put homeless Jordan Neely in fatal chokehold on subway a 'murderer' - as it's revealed Michael Jackson impersonator victim had breakdown after mom was killed
I have sympathy for people with mental issues. Nonetheless their illness does not warrant an excuse for their behavior against other people. It's the same thing for people who committed crimes in general. There's more sympathy for them not their victims especially when you have soft on crime Das hellbent on letting criminals go to repeat the same crimes over and over again. Whereis the justice?