In a blatant display of the politicization of the criminal justice system, New York City's progressive "get-out-of-jail free card" prosecutor, Alvin Bragg, has charged 24-year-old former U.S. Marine sergeant Daniel Penny with manslaughter in the death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely.
Penny, and other riders, intervened and subdued Neely when his erratic behavior posed a threat to fellow passengers - on a subway train in Manhattan.
Penny put Neely in a chokehold.
Neely eventually died.
Penny is white, and Neely was Black.
His death led to a disgusting display of phony racial hypocrisy and outrage by leftist activists, liberal media pundits, and even Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., all of whom exploited Neely’s death for political gain.
They demanded Penny’s scalp. The only thing missing was a tree for the lynching.
Bragg willingly succumbed to the mob pressure and did the next best thing--gave them a rope in the form of a 2nd-degree manslaughter charge.
It is a sad commentary on society's values that a Black life matters more when taken by a white than another Black!
When the shoe is on the foot of a Black perpetrator who kills or terrorizes other Blacks, Asians, or whites, there is little if any condemnation by many of those same progressives, pundits, and politicians who attacked Penny.
Neely’s life mattered — and so did the lives of the 27 other people violently killed on the subway since March 2020 who did not get the political attention of Neely or merit protests on the subway and in the streets.
Neely was no paragon of virtue.
He was a mentally disturbed criminal with over 40 arrests and a talent for impersonating Michael Jackson. At his death, he had a warrant out for his arrest for a Nov. 2021 case where he was accused of assaulting a 67-year-woman who sustained a broken nose and a fractured orbital bone.
In 2019, he was arrested for punching a 64-year-old man in the face during a fight in a subway station, and in 2015 was arrested for attempting to kidnap a 7-year-old girl for which he served four months in jail.
Where were the protesters then?
Would they have supported Neely if one of their family members were the potential victim of his threats on that train?
Where were they when a Black man beat an elderly Asian woman 125 times?
Where were they when a Black man brutally assaulted an Asian woman going to her apartment?
Neely most likely would be alive today if progressive politicians like Bragg and Hochul had gotten him off the streets and into treatment where he belonged, so he would have stopped terrorizing innocent citizens.
The lesson of the Neely case is: don't get involved, let the Black perpetrator intimidate or threaten the lives of fellow Black, white, or Asians on a subway, in a restaurant, or just walking down the street.
A "good samaritan" protecting innocent Black, white or Asian lives is not "good" if they are white and the threatening person is Black.
The white becomes the bad guy, and the Black felon becomes a hero of progressive politicians and their allies in the media.
The message to any white, Black, Asian, or any other potential good samaritan? Don't get involved!
Most definitely don't involve yourself if you see a Black person committing a crime, beating or threatening others.
If you do, be aware that you will be at risk of being arrested, charged with a crime, and marched in a Daniel Penny-style "perp walk" to appease the left-wing mob.
Finally, if there was any doubt that the charge against Penny was based on racial politics, look at who will deliver the eulogy at Neely's funeral — the Rev. Al Sharpton!
Need more be said?
(A related article may be found here.)
Clarence V. McKee is president of McKee Communications, Inc., a government, political, and media relations and training consulting firm in Florida. He is the author of "How Obama Failed Black America and How Trump Is Helping It." Read Clarence V. McKee's Reports — More Here.