It didn’t take long for the progressive left to try to turn the death of a violent, mentally ill man on a New York subway car into a moment of political opportunity. Jordan Neely died after he was restrained in a headlock by a former Marine named Daniel Penny, helped by some other passengers. Neely had been threatening the other passengers and demanding food and money. But during her next public appearance, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared that Neely had been “killed for being a passenger on the subway trains.” After Mayor Eric Adams tried to calm the waters by saying that it would be “irresponsible” to leap to conclusions before all of the facts were known, AOC got in on the action. She said this was “a new low” for the Mayor, and described the incident as a “public murder.” (National Review)

Despite the violent and erratic behavior exhibited by Jordan Neely on a New York subway Monday night that led to a violent and ultimately fatal altercation, Governor Kathy Hochul said that the man was simply “killed for being a passenger on the subway trains.”

“Before we get started answering your questions,” Hochul told reporters on Thursday afternoon, “I do want to acknowledge how horrific it was to view a video of Jordan Neely being killed for being a passenger on the subway trains.”

The governor went on to say, “Our hearts go out to his [Neely’s] families. I’m really pleased that the district attorney is looking into this matter.”

Infamous race hustler Al Sharpton quickly joined the pile-on, calling Penny a “vigilante” and claiming that he had already called DA Alvin Bragg, telling him he needed to press charges. But this is what the left always does when they think they smell some political blood in the water.

The only reason this incident ever made it further than the local nightly news is that Neely was Black and Penny is white. If the races had been reversed, it would have been another senseless bad day on the New York City subway. But now it has become a political imperative for Neely to be turned into an icon. That may be a tough trick to pull off, however. Neely had a long history of not just mental illness, but violence. He had a long rap sheet and a prison record. In 2021 he punched a 67-year-old woman in the head, shattering her orbital bone and breaking her nose. While on that subway car, he was threatening to “hurt people,” and he clearly had a track record demonstrating that he was capable of doing so.

Bringing charges against Penny for “murder” would also require proving intent. And watching the video of the incident, that should be a non-starter. You can see Penny holding Neely in a headlock while other passengers assist him, one of whom appears to be another young,  Black man. As soon as Neely stops fighting back, he is placed on his side and clearly appears to still be breathing.

Does anyone remember Bernie Goetz? He shot some thugs who were threatening him with sharpened screwdrivers. They tried to take him to court also, but a jury wasn’t having any of it. There was a time when you were allowed to defend yourself against lunatics and gangbangers, but I’m not confident that such attitudes still exist in 21st-century New York City.

At National Review, Andrew McCarthy has an analysis of these proceedings that’s worth a look. Clearly, nobody should be celebrating the death of Jordan Neely. But he also shouldn’t be entirely dismissed either. We are facing twin epidemics of violent crime and homelessness that are frequently compounded by mental illness and/or drug addiction. If someone had managed to find a way to get Neely off the streets and into a shelter where he could access mental health care and addiction treatment, he would probably be alive today and we wouldn’t be having a debate about the fate of Daniel Penny. Perhaps AOC and her friends could try working with the Mayor rather than against him and try to make some progress on these issues.