photo courtesy of CNN
Politicians and activists are outraged following the tragic death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely at the hands of a 24-year-old New York City subway passenger. The incident occurred Monday, May 1, and was brought to attention because of a video taken of the killing and the lack of accountability that followed.
According to NBC News, while on the northbound F train in New York, Neely – who was homeless and working as a performer – was involved in an altercation with another man on the train. Authorities responded to a 911 call about the fight around 2 in the afternoon.
“Further investigation revealed the 30-year-old was involved in a verbal dispute with the 24-year-old male, and it escalated into a physical altercation. During the physical struggle between the two males, the 30-year-old male lost consciousness,” A law enforcement spokesperson explained. The video, taken by a fellow passenger Juan Alberto Vazquez captured the fateful moments of the fight when the 24-year-old assailant held Neely in a chokehold, and several other subway passengers restrained the Black man on the ground. Vazquez told the outlet about Neely’s behavior leading up to the video being taken. He said the man was hungry and thirsty and looking for help before being held in a chokehold for almost 15 minutes.
“He began to say a somewhat aggressive speech, saying he was hungry, he was thirsty, that he didn’t care about anything, he didn’t care about going to jail, he didn’t care that he got a big life sentence. That ‘It doesn’t even matter if I died.'” Neely reportedly struggled with his mental health since just age 14, “when he experienced the brutal murder of his mother.”
Vazquez said that he and other people on the subway were scared at the time, and at that point, the 24-year-old came up behind Neely and put him in a chokehold and wrestled him to the ground. These are the moments that the video captured.
“If there was fear, the people who…were there where he separated everything, moved from their place. I stayed sitting in my place because it was a little further away, but obviously, in those moments, well, one feels fear.”
He was unconscious by the time authorities arrived on the scene and was then pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The city chief medical examiner conducted an autopsy, and the cause of death was determined to be the “compression of the neck.” With the manner of death being homicide, the demand for those responsible for his death to be prosecuted has come from several different politicians and city council members.
Adrienne Adams, a city council speaker, said Neely “was a New Yorker, a son, and a performer, and he should still be alive,” She continued to explain how this tragedy serves as another example of how Black people are maltreated as this day. “[Black people] remain from an equitable and just society.”
“Racism that continues to permeate throughout our society allows for a level of dehumanization that denies Black people from being recognized as victims when subjected to acts of violence. The perceptions of Black people have long been interpreted through a distorted, racialized lens that aims to justify violence against us.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal took to Twitter to say there was no reason for the man in the video to be using a maneuver so dangerous that the police were barred from using it, especially on a man who was having a mental health crisis and needed help as Neely did.
“The legislature banned police from using chokeholds in 2020 for a reason. There’s no excuse for a civilian to use such a deadly maneuver, especially on someone experiencing a mental health crisis. “While we don’t know all the facts, we know this: Jordan Neely should still be alive. I trust the @ManhattanDA Bragg will use his best judgment in pursuing justice for Jordan and his family.”
Another Democrat, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, added that this drew attention to the persistent issues in how people deal with mental health issues and the amount of violence on New York subways. He wrote on Twitter, “Mr. Neely’s death reveals the shortcomings of our approach in both areas and should be a moment of great anguish for this city, not a time for equivocation or tacit approval of vigilantism. I stand ready to work with my partners in government towards healing and solutions during this time of great pain for Mr. Neely’s family and everyday New Yorkers.”
Finally, Jamaal T. Bailey tweeted on Thursday, “Jordan Neely was simply asking for food and water when his life was brutally taken. No one should lose their life because they’re experiencing a mental health crisis. He deserved help, not a death sentence.”