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JORDAN NEELY NYC SUBWAY CHOKING DEATH SPARKS OUTCRY: 'WE'VE GOT A DEEP PROBLEM'

Trevor Hughes
USA TODAY


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Pressure is mounting on New York City authorities as they investigate the death
of a well-known Black street performer after a former Marine, who is white, put
him in a chokehold following an altercation on the subway.

Jordan Neely's death on Monday, which has been ruled a homicide, renewed ongoing
conflicts about access to mental health and what some experts warn is an
alarming increase in vigilante justice nationally.

According to authorities and witnesses, Neely and the former Marine, 24, got
into a verbal altercation that escalated into a physical fight and ended with
the former Marine putting Neeley in a chokehold. Neely lost consciousness and
never recovered, police said. Investigators interviewed the former Marine after
Neely's death but did not detain him.



Hundreds of people protested Neely's death Wednesday in New York City. A witness
told the New York Times that Neely had yelled that he was hungry, thirsty, fed
up and "ready to die."

PREVIOUSLYMan dies on New York subway after rider puts chokehold on 'erratic'
passenger


REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ CALLS OUT MAYOR'S RESPONSE

In a statement, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the
official response to Neely's death.



Ocasio-Cortez said Neely's death was murder. The coroner ruled the death of
Neely, 30, a homicide and said a police investigation would determine intent and
culpability.

"This honestly feels like a new low: not being able to clearly condemn a public
murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem 'too low' to
care about," Ocasio-Cortez said.



Her comments came in response to New York City Mayor Eric Adam's statement which
said that while Neely's death was "tragic," he'd refrain from commenting further
because the investigation is ongoing. Adams, a former New York City police
officer, added that he believed the city needs to provide better mental health
services.


INVESTIGATION INTO NEELY'S DEATH CONTINUES

Newsweek reported that Neely had been arrested 42 times since 2013, including
charges of assault and transit fraud, but that many were for minor violations
like having an open container of alcohol. Authorities said it appeared Neely was
unhoused.



In a statement, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said the investigation
into Neely's death is ongoing.

"This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan
Neely’s life,” Manhattan District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Doug Cohen said
in a statement to CNN. "As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will
review the Medical Examiner’s report, assess all available video and photo
footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain
additional medical records."


NEW YORKERS REMEMBER 1984 SUBWAY SHOOTING

For many longtime New Yorkers, Neely's death sparked memories of the 1984 subway
shooting of four Black teenagers by Bernhard Goetz, who said they tried to rob
him. Dubbed the "Subway Vigilante," Goetz, who was white, was convicted only of
carrying an unlicensed gun, and the incident came to symbolize the frustration
and anger many New Yorkers felt with  crime rates across the city.

In a statement, the Rev. Al Sharpton demanded Neely's death be investigated as
either manslaughter or murder: "Thirty years ago, I fought the Bernard Goetz
case and we cannot end up back to a place where vigilantism is tolerable. It
wasn’t acceptable then and it cannot be acceptable now."




'WE'VE GOT A DEEP PROBLEM IN THIS COUNTRY'

Neely's death also follows several shootings nationally of people who turned
into the wrong driveway or knocked on the wrong door.

Advocates for unhoused people say they are often treated as disposable or
unworthy of society's protections.

Rashad Robinson, the president of the online-focused civil rights group Color Of
Change, said he fears authorities believe Americans will quickly excuse Neely's
death. Robinson said the U.S. has a culture that worships both police and
vigilantes and believes the ends almost always justify the means.

Robinson said with the three-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd in
Minneapolis approaching later this month, Neely's death hits harder, especially
when so little has changed regarding police reform and access to mental health
services, two key elements of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"We've got a deep problem in this country in thinking that it's ok to deploy
violence to deal with mental health," said Robinson. "The fact is that Black
people just don’t have to worry about being strangled by police, but by a
regular citizen feeling empowered and supported by elected officials."







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