A 30-year-old black male named Jordan Neely died on the New York City subway system after being put in a carotid restraint by a 24-year-old white male Marine veteran named Daniel Penny. Neely was well-known as a Michael Jackson impersonator and performer on and around the subway system. However, he had not done that particular act in a while. Police arrested Neely 44 times for various offenses, mostly consisting of violations involving the subway, disorderly conduct, assault, and fare evasion. Neely was a well-known menace for a long time. He was featured on New York City’s Top 50 list of homeless people in urgent need of help before his untimely death.

At the time of the restraint, Neely was threatening passengers with violence. Witnesses say that he was yelling about being hungry and thirsty and that he would “hurt anyone on this train” and he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Daniel Penny was just one of several passengers who restrained him at this moment so he would not hurt anyone. He was placed in a carotid restraint, and at the same time, his arms were restrained by another man. Subway passengers did not attempt to break up the restraint. Witnesses later said that Neely did not appear to be in serious distress. They said he appeared to be moving around fine, just unable to get up from the restraint.

Unfortunately, Neely died after being restrained. Medical examiners ruled Neely’s cause of death as a homicide. This simply means that his death was caused by another person, not that there will be any criminal charges against Daniel Penny. That may or may not happen. If Penny is charged, it could be as a result of public pressure because of the ongoing protests that have sort of spiraled out of control.

Several elected officials, including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), took to the Internet to pronounce Neely’s death a “murder.” NYC Comptroller Brad Lander tweeted a statement that can only be characterized as reckless: “We must not become a city where a mentally ill human being can be choked to death by a vigilante without consequence.” NYC Mayor Eric Adams said that it is irresponsible to label an ongoing investigation as complete by assigning guilt or innocence.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul released an irresponsible statement of her own: “Actions have consequences.” This could be taken two different ways — either as a reference to Jordan Neely’s out-of-control behavior on the subway that day, or to the actions of the Marine Corps vet who took action to subdue Neely. She later clarified that she was referencing Penny and not Neely. The statements from AOC, Lander, and Hochul all feed into the tinderbox that is New York City in the wake of Neely’s death.

The timing of the outrage and protest surrounding Neely’s death is a little bit too familiar. Neely is already being compared to George Floyd, who died after an arrest in Minneapolis in 2020. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests and violent riots just in time for the 2020 presidential election. A second wave of Black Lives Matter protests happened in, arguably, a much more furious way than the initial wave back during the 2015/2016 timeframe. The protests (many of which became riots) not only served as an $82 billion fundraising scheme, but they also affected the election cycle both nationwide and in many locales across the country.

As soon as the news broke about Neely, New York City almost immediately became inundated with protesters on the subway. People stood on the tracks while chanting various things about Neely and the police, preventing any subway car traffic. Videos also show people being blocked from exiting the train, unable to get to work, because of so-called “protesters” wanting to make a point and be seen. Scenes from the initial BLM wave of the Ferguson and Baltimore rioting were sort of recreated in New York City.

Back in 2016, rabble-rouser Deray McKesson was famously photographed while being arrested and looking straight into the camera. A few incidents took place in NYC that looked just like that picture. People get some camera time upon their arrests, most likely in an attempt to get fame and fortune. It is no secret that these types of situations are prime for bad actors to take advantage of, and it is most certainly already taking place.

Jordan Neely was a person who was simply mentally ill and dangerous, like many other homeless people in New York City and other metropolitan areas around the country. His death should be a cautionary tale about cities that have become lawless due to the inaction of local authorities. Neely should have been locked up in a mental institution about 20 or so violations ago, instead of being allowed to roam free and terrorize the subway system. It is unfortunate that he died, but dozens of others have been killed on the subway by people just like Neely. Many of these people also suffer from drug addiction in addition to their preexisting mental problems.

Since the 1960s, the population of mental institutions has dramatically decreased. It may be time to ramp those numbers up so mentally ill people don’t become the next Jordan Neely.