No good deed goes unpunished — especially in this day of racially tinged politics. Daniel Penny, a Marine veteran who was 24 at the time, is on trial for manslaughter for the 2023 death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train. This case should have never been brought to trial. The prosecution and activist groups are making it about race. Penny is white and Neely was Black.
Neely entered the train in an erratic state, screaming, and threatening passengers. It appears Neely had mental health issues, with 42 prior arrests, some violent, Newsweek reported. Some passengers thought he was high, and responding police administered Narcan. Could Neely’s death have been linked to an overdose, not just Penny’s chokehold used to restrain him?
Witnesses, some with children, were alarmed. One passenger said he was “pretty terrified.” Neely and Eric Gonzalez, another passenger, stopped the threat. In that tragic moment, Penny protected New Yorkers. He is a Good Samaritan, not a vigilante. Free Penny!
There is a dangerous lesson here, not only for New Yorkers, but the nation: Next time, don’t get involved.
Michael Anderson,
Barberton