Photo from the Broadway-Lafayette station by Jeremiah Moss
On Monday afternoon around 2:30, Jordan Neely boarded the uptown F train at the Second Avenue station. [Early reports mentioned that he entered the train on Second Avenue. That narrative has seemed to change.]
According to the Associated Press, "he was yelling and pacing back and forth on an F train ... witnesses and police said, when he was restrained by at least three people, including a U.S. Marine veteran who pulled one arm tightly around his neck."
Video taken by a passenger shows the unnamed 24-year-old former Marine holding Neely in a chokehold while other riders restrained him on the floor of a train. The former Marine was taken into police custody but later released later Monday without being charged.
Neely, who was 30, died from compression to his neck as a result of the chokehold, the medical examiner ruled yesterday.
Per the Times: "The episode, filmed on a nearly four-minute video that shows other riders helping to pin down Mr. Neely while others looked on, has led to a police investigation and spurred advocates for the homeless, city officials and others to call for an arrest."
And from The Guardian: "Advocates argued that the circumstances surrounding Neely’s life and death — his struggles with homelessness, food insecurity and mental health struggles — reflected longstanding failures to provide social services to impoverished New Yorkers."
Here are some of the headlines about the death of Jordan Neely and the aftermath...
• NYC subway chokehold death ruled a homicide, as groups demand justice for Jordan Neely (NBC News)
• Possible charges against Marine in chokehold death of Jordan Neely as NYPD and Manhattan DA confer (Daily News)
• Who killed Jordan Neely? (Hell Gate)
• Mayor Adams and police criticized for lack of action over Jordan Neely's death (The Guardian)
• Outrage grows after Jordan Neely was choked to death on the subway (New York)
• Jordan Neely NYC subway chokehold death sparks outcry: 'We've got a deep problem' (USA Today)
• Who was Jordan Neely? Friends recall 'sweet kid,' talented performer killed in subway chokehold (Gothamist)
• Eyewitnesses react to subway killing of Jordan Neely (Gothamist)
The guy shouldn't have been choked to death. A homicide charge is being considered.
ReplyDeleteThat he was even on the train is a larger indictment of our current system. He'd been busted twice for randomly assaulting elderly people on the subway, the last time in November 2021 when he broke a 67 year old woman's nose and orbital bone as she exited the subway in the East Village. He was also busted in 2015 for attempting to kidnap a 7 year old girl. Lots of other minor busts. The guy had lost it.
There was a crackhead in the neighborhood who was assaulting women and being back on the street the next day. When I talked to the cops after he assaulted a woman they didn't even want to bust him. "He'll be back out the next day." He was back in the same spot as the assault the next day. He sent a little girl off in an ambulance on St Marks and was on Ave C raising hell a few days later. When a grand jury got around to looking at his cases he had 15 outstanding hate crimes charges. The grand jury split on whether to keep him off the street.
This isn't going to work. We don't have the mental health facilities to handle all the edge cases (thanks Ronald Reagan) so that leaves Rikers. The courts are so backed up that Rikers, a lawless jail, turns into a warehouse and people get lost. So instead violent street types just get booked, given a court date (which they, shockingly, miss) and released.
It's all fine and good to advocate for criminal justice and bail reform, for oceans of mental health funding, for a policing structure that is more integrated into the communities.
But until then what?
Mr. Neely's death is an indictment of EVERYTHING that NYC drops the ball on for people who have mental illness, addiction issues, or just emotional trauma.
ReplyDeleteI want them to identify & give the background of the white guy who killed him, b/c IMO, the white guy is ALSO a mental case, given the off-the-wall way he behaved - like some kind of urban Rambo. The white guy made himself judge, jury and executioner for Mr. Neely. IMO, THIS is what an urban lynching looks like.
And the fact that the white guy evidently is trained in some kind of martial arts or self-defense makes him that much MORE culpable, b/c AFAIK, every place that teaches martial arts or self-defense makes you well aware that certain moves (like a choke hold) will lead to death or permanent mental damage if you hold them long enough. IMO, the white guy knew what he was doing, and he should be held fully accountable. (PS: I'm sure his lawyer will claim he has PTSD.)
RIP Mr. Neely.
We need more compassion
ReplyDeleteI agree with this comment. We all need more compassion and kindness.
DeleteI made numerous attempts to watch the video, but I just can't bear it. I am overwhelmed from what I see daily on social media platforms in terms of violence. There is a great deal of hatred and xenophobia in our society, which pains me as a minority. This man didn't deserve to die. In many ways, the system failed him. Communities failed him. His family failed him too. He was far too young to leave this world and meet his fate in such a cruel, inhumane manner. And here we have what appears to be an entitled vigilante lacking empathy, critical thinking skills, and rationale, who should be behind bars facing an arraignment for homicide. Mayor Adams made a pitiful response on CNN to what happened. So, did Governor Hochul. I am ashamed of both. Justice is what is needed for this victim. Certainly not posturing or assigning blame to the victim. What is wrong with people?
ReplyDeleteI can understand peoples reaction to being menaced on the subway, and I can understand the homicide charges. Our society has deemphasized compassion ally dealing with the mentally ill and just lumps them in with criminals instead. He should be been institutionalized, not on a train.
ReplyDeleteIt's very possible the marine had no intention of killing the guy, we don't know as we were all probably not there and in that situation.
ReplyDeleteWhat we do know is that people are afraid because of what has been happening.
People getting beaten, shoved, stomped, attacked, robbed in the subway.
The MTA and politicians are doing very little to ensure safety, the
district attorney is no help with crime.
People are now left to defend themselves and take action, because none
is being taken by officials.
Either people take action or become another victim.
Agreed!
DeleteWhat I find hard to believe is that the victim boarded at 2 Ave but by the next stop, B'way Lafayette, he was already held down and soon unconscious. Unless the train was being held for a while, it's less than a minute ride between those stations. I'm surprised the situation would've escalated that quickly to require a chokehold be used.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised the situation escalated so quickly. I ride the bus daily, once at night, and having people completely out of their minds is normal and VERY scary. Sometimes they'll zero in on me, other times, they'll terrify the whole bus, screaming nonsense in our faces, and all we can do is sit there and hope nothing happens. To blame this person who clearly needed help or the man who subdued him because the passengers also needed protection isn't who we should be looking at. It's the politicians who so quickly jump on twitter to point fingers that should be held accountable. Their policies created this mess. Do your damn jobs already and make this city safer for everyone.
ReplyDelete@9:21am: Hochul only cares about optics and REAL ESTATE. Eric Adams only cares about his "swagger", so there you have it.
ReplyDeleteAdams is simply unequal to the demands of his job, and all New Yorkers are paying the price for his ineptitude.
Well said! That Hochal jumped in with her comments while the investigation is still going on was totally irresponsible and can only create more division. All for optics.
DeletePoliticians disgust me and those trying to whip up a fervor over this are the worst as are the ones downplaying it. They're all culpable and they're never in the situations we're in on a daily basis when riding mass transit or just trying to get home on the streets. You can say "that's life in the city" all you want but it ignores the real problem and that's that our government can do nothing to solve what clearly is something very amiss.
ReplyDelete8:56- Completely agree. People are afraid. Take action or risk being a victim. Do not agree that the Politicians the "City" or "System" failed this guy. It's disingenuous in fact because we don't know if the guy could be helped. The mental health services are there and available. Even if he was directed to seek treatment (and why wasn't he)it's not a given that he would participate. If medication was required would he even take it? It seems like someone like this should be institutionalized but that can't be done without just cause and if his mind was really bent he'd probably wind up a catatonic zombie. Even screening kids at a young might help some with mental issues but unfortunately some people are just lost souls.
ReplyDeleteI watched the video clip. Though I'm certain that it doesn't show everything that happened or what led to it, I don't see HOW the military guy is justified putting Neely in a chokehold, which could have only been accomplished by grabbing him from behind.
ReplyDeleteIf the situation was so bad that passengers felt that Neely should be restrained, WHY CHOKE HIM? There are PLENTY of ways to hold someone without applying pressure to the neck.
"Eyewitnesses" say that Neely was yelling about being hungry and thirsty. Did ANYone on that fucking subway car consider that the man was desperate and was crying out for help?
Not long ago, I saw a homeless person on the street. She was rolling on the ground, twirling in circles, mumbling incoherently, totally fucked up. People I knew just walked past her. One told me "That's really sad" but did NOTHING.
I got her a couple of San Loco tacos and WATER. Within minutes, she was back on her feet, able to walk and talk normally.
All she needed was food, water (people CAN go a bit "crazy" when dehydrated) and some COMPASSION.
Perhaps that's all that Neely needed.
He didn't need a chokehold (ILLEGAL in NYC, by the way) that KILLED him.
I agree. If he felt the need to defend himself, there are a number of ways he could have accomplished this without killing another human being. I can't bear to watch the video. I also generally can't wrap my head around how someone could watch as another person stops breathing. At that point, you've more than protected yourself--you've gone too far and someone is dead as a result.
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