Jordan Neely’s family’s attorneys have released a statement claiming that Daniel Penny “acted with indifference” and should be sentenced to prison. Jordan Neely passed away last week after being placed in a deadly chokehold on an F train by Penny.
The declaration is in reaction to remarks made by Penny that were made public on Friday evening by his attorneys. Penny expressed sympathy for Neely’s family in his statement, but he also noted that the homeless man had a “documented history of violent and erratic behavior.”
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According to Penny’s attorneys, when Mr. Neely started threatening him and the other passengers violently, Daniel took action to defend them until help could arrive.
Daniel Penny’s press announcement is neither an apology nor an indication of sorrow, according to the Neely family’s legal representatives, who responded angrily.
In a statement, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards, who represent Neely’s father, Andre Zachery, and aunt, Carolyn Neely, as well as other family members, said that the incident was a “character assassination” and a “clear example” of why Neely thought he had the right to kill Jordan.
Lawyers for the Neely family continued by addressing Mayor Eric Adams, who did not condemn the chokehold killing after it occurred, and said that authorities must carry out a thorough investigation. Adams continued, “There’s a lot we don’t know about what happened here. The incident shows that there is a need to remove people with mental illness from the subway system.”
Neely’s family attorneys retaliated. In their statement, they emphasized that Jordan’s family wanted his murderer to know that his life “matters.” They added, “You seem to think others are more important than him.”
Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan, has not yet filed any charges against Penny or anybody else.
The NYS NAACP Conference of Branches shared a heartfelt message to the family of Jordon Neely, “The NYS NAACP Conference of Branches wishes to extend its heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr. Jordan Neely. The failure of his fellow New Yorkers to acknowledge and respect his humanity, so egregiously so that someone felt it appropriate to cut his life short because his presence made them uncomfortable, is unconscionable. His current financial misfortune, or past justice involvement, should not negate his right to occupy space on a subway car. The fact remains that Mr. Neely was murdered on that train, and the monster who put his hands on Mr. Neely must be arrested and charged with his murder immediately. We are calling on District Attorney Bragg and his office to act expeditiously, provide justice for Mr. Neely’s family, and remove an unhinged killer from our city’s streets.”
Myles Hollingsworth on behalf of the NAACP NYS Youth and College releases a statement on the murder of Jordan Neely which states:
“Jordan Neely’s public murder in the NYC subway system is a seriously tragic example of the criminalization of being poor in America. To only say we are saddened by this tragedy would be short cut; we are also deeply enraged by this extremely devastating murder. Although there is a lot of information we don’t know, there is already a lot that we do, and among that information is the unequivocal fact that this murder delineates from white supremacy and the lackluster responses to its violence from some elected leaders. The pain and uncertainty of homelessness, mental health crisis, and financial distress do not—and under no circumstances—warrant murder, or its excuse. Jordan Neely was a human being and in his tragic death, he still deserves humanity. Full stop.
“To excuse the white male murderer is to excuse white supremacy; a capricious and racist idea that we cannot allow to permeate in our state, our communities, and in our homes. To believe there to be “consequences” or justification in a murder like this, screams so loudly, the ignorance and obtuseness some choose to walk with.
“Let’s be very clear—we are not separate nor unaffected socially or politically from anyone unhoused or suffering from mental health disorders. We are more in a community than many know or choose to realize. Jordan Neely is our family, our kin. As a body in pursuit of Black liberation, we grieve with our communities across New York State, regardless of economic status or accessibility to resources. ”
“We need to heal, and we must act,” the release noted.
