Jordan Neely, a young Black man who was killed on a New York City subway train after being deemed a threat, grappled with both homelessness and mental health crises. Advocates say the criminalization of homelessness, and the public's negative perception of people who experience living on the streets, may have acted as a precursor to his death.
, a witness who recorded the incident on video, said Neely screamed,"I'm tired already. I don't care if I go to jail and get locked up. I'm ready to die."
Police took Penny into custody for questioning after the incident, but he was released without charges. The city’s medical examiner ruled Neely’s death a homicide, and the Manhattan district attorney's office said the killing remains under investigation.According to his aunt Carolyn Neely, Jordan had spiraled into"a complete mess" at the age of 14 in 2007 after his mother, Christie,."He developed depression and it grew and became more serious. He was schizophrenic, PTSD.
“In a place like New York City, it is illegal to be homeless,” Krys Cerisier, the homeless union organizer at VOCAL-NY, an advocacy group for low-income people, told Yahoo News. “If you’re outside, that’s loitering. You’re not supposed to be on the train. It’s really easy to get picked up by the police if you’re in the streets constantly as a Black man in New York.
“A lot of the safety net systems and institutions in New York City like the foster care system, the shelter system, the incarceration system, are meant to rehabilitate but are set up for failure,” Cerisier said. “But you have people who are in these shelters for years on end. Kids leave foster care with no place to live a lot of the time. So by the time we see Jordan Neely on that train, that's after years of failure to gain access to resources.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Jordan Neely’s Family Condemns Killer Daniel Penny’s Vilification of NeelyThe family implores Mayor Eric Adams to give them a call rather than continuing to criticize Neely.
Read more »
‘I Would Like Everyone to Pretend That Was Their Son’AOC on Jordan Neely’s killing and who gets to feel safe in New York.
Read more »
Seeing death before him: Eyewitness to Jordan Neely’s death discusses the violent scene | amNewYorkJohnny Grima knows more than most the anguish of being homeless and the pain that comes along with it, but now he says he must grapple with more grief — the killing of Jordan Neely.
Read more »
Protesters jump onto subway tracks, clash with NYPD over Jordan Neely’s deathDozens of demonstrators jumped onto the subway tracks, forcing an oncoming Q train to slam on the brakes at the mouth of the tunnel, video shows.
Read more »
Six more people wanted for jumping on subway tracks during Jordan Neely death protest, NYPD saysThe NYPD is looking for six people wanted for trespass after demonstrators jumped onto subway tracks and blocked a train during a protest over Jordan Neely's death. LisaRoznerTV reports.
Read more »