The media has been quick to jump to conclusions about the death of Jordan Neely, and those conclusions have been largely based on race.
However, the attorney for former Marine Daniel Penny has said the choking death of Neely had “nothing to do with race.”
Penny, 24, surrendered himself into the 5th Precinct in Lower Manhattan on Friday where prosecutors charged him with second-degree manslaughter over the death of 30-year-old Neely.
His attorneys have said Penny did not intend to harm Neely, who allegedly acted erratically on a New York Subway train, and held him in a chokehold to protect his fellow passengers, NBC News reported.
The family of Neely accused Penny of acting in “indifference” and called on him to be imprisoned in a May 8 statement released by their attorneys. But Penny’s attorney, Steven Raiser, was quick to point out that Penny’s actions had nothing to do with race.
“None of that is based on the facts,” Raiser told Fox News’ Judge Jeanine Pirro in response to race allegations. “As to race, it’s simply not the motivation for Danny.
He is the one that put himself in danger to save who? All the people on that train. Black people, brown people, white people, it didn’t matter to Danny. Danny put his life at risk to save all those people, it has nothing to do with race.”
A 66-year-old witness on the train said Neely reportedly threatened he would “kill a motherf*cker” despite going to jail for the rest of his life, and said Penny only interfered when things “got out of hand,” according to the New York Post. The witness reportedly thanked Penny and said she was “praying” for him after the incident.
What the media has failed to report is the true story of what happened on that subway train, and the courage of Daniel Penny in trying to protect all of the passengers, regardless of race.
It is a tragedy that Neely died, but it is wrong to use his death to push a false narrative that race had anything to do with it.
We need to be aware of how quickly the media will jump to conclusions when it comes to stories like this, and call out false narratives when we see them.
The truth of what happened on the subway is far more complex than a simple story of racism, and it is important that we be aware of the truth.
Penny’s legal fund has surpassed $2 million in donations as of Monday, just three days after being charged. Neely’s death sparked protests in New York City subways and streets, leading to conflicts with law enforcement.
Police made 11 arrests from a May 9 protest after officers ordered protesters to stop blocking the streets and recovered a Molotov cocktail.
Daniel Penny is an example of someone who put himself in danger to protect the lives of others, regardless of race. We should all be aware of the facts of the case, and not jump to conclusions based on the false narratives being perpetuated by the media.
