Elie Mystal: One Man Killed Jordan Neely--but We All Failed Him

[Nevilledog]

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/we-all-failed-jordan-neely/

A man was choked to death on the F train in New York City this week. The victim, who appeared to be homeless, was allegedly being “hostile and erratic” on the subway, but he wasn’t being violent. He said that he was hungry and thirsty, and that he was prepared to die. Another man, whom reports have identified as a former Marine, put him in a choke hold and killed him. The murder happened in broad view of the other passengers and was captured on video. The alleged assailant was briefly questioned by police, then released. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says the investigation is “ongoing.” On Wednesday, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, but no charges have been filed as of this writing.

Having told you all that, do I even have to tell you the race of the assailant or the victim? Does anyone think there is a Black man alive in this country who could walk up to a nonviolent white person, in public, choke him to death in full view of other passengers and on video, and then just walk away after a brief chat with the police? Barack freaking Obama would not be allowed to walk away after choking a homeless white man to death on the subway. If you do think that he could, please step forward and claim your complimentary dunce cap, and infuse it with your own naivete.

The victim was Black; the assailant was white. The victim pretty much had to be Black to support the callous disregard for his life, and the assailant had to be white to secure the disregard of law enforcement. This is a story that could only happen in America, where white supremacy and anti-Blackness combine to make the violent murder of a human being on public transportation into the kind of thing white people can do and then go home. At some level, this could only happen on the New York City subway, one of the few places in the entire country where people from all different races, creeds, and classes are forced into close contact and required to behave with a modicum of civility and empathy toward their fellow citizens, if only until the next stop.

But, to be honest, the racism saturating every part of this story is only the most obvious of its horrors. This murder takes many of the problems we have in our society and shoves them into a giant melting pot.

*snip*

[brush]

1. There has to be an arrest. This can't end there.

An arrest has to come. Reminds me of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. The three killers weren't arrestted for a few days before public outcry forced LEOs to make arrests.

[BigMin28]

2. The killers in the Arbery

Case weren't arrested for a couple of months. Not until they or their attorney leaked the video of the murder. They actually thought the video was helpful to them, when it only forced, forced the police to arrest them.

[brush]

3. Oh, you're right. I forgot it took that long for arrests to be made.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. K&R.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. gofundme for Jordan Neely's family:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/jordan-neely-we-love-you

[Solly Mack]

6. K&R

[Ex Lurker]

7. Don't forget Banko Brown

Transgender man killed by a Walgreens security guard over $14 worth of candy.

[Sympthsical]

8. They need to release that video

Jenkins declined charges. She's going to have to justify that to the public.