Liberals are outraged after Daniel Penny was acquitted in the NYC subway trial

Marine veteran Daniel Penny was convicted in the slaying of homeless train driver Jordan Neely on Monday, sparking outrage from freedom fighters on social media.

A Manhattan jury found Penny not guilty of negligent homicide, which carries a four-year prison sentence. The most serious charge of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a 15-year sentence, was dismissed last week by Judge Maxwell Wiley, after jurors twice told the court they were deadlocked on the matter.

Penny, a 26-year-old Marine veteran and architecture student, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in Neely’s death on a Manhattan subway car in May 2023. He had a warrant out for his arrest at the time, and had boarded the train screaming death threats while driving high on a synthetic marijuana known as K2. Penny grabbed Neely from behind during the incident and Neely later died.

The high-profile case has sparked debate about public safety, mental illness and homelessness in the NYC subway system. Penny’s defense argued that he was protecting others on the subway who were threatened by Neely’s explosion, and prosecutors argued that Penny acted with extreme force and that his actions led to Neely’s death.

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Liberal commentators reacted to the judge’s decision on Monday by suggesting discrimination and bias against the homeless and poor influenced the judge’s decision.

“Imagine, just imagine, if Jordan Neely was White and Daniel Penny was Black. Imagine what some of the people defending Penny today would say. Just imagine,” former MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan wrote.

“Everything that led up to and followed the killing of Jordan Neely in the subway of Daniel Penny in New York City was possible and should have been prevented,” wrote Tiffany Cabán, a member of the NYC Council District 22 in Queens, New York. Bluesky.

“Jordan Neely deserved better than the violence of being denied access to stable housing and health care, and then scorned for it. Jordan Neely deserved better than the systems that allow, and condone, violence against Black people without judgment,” he added. .

“Jordan Neely was 30 years old – struggling with mental illness, drug addiction and homelessness. He played on the NYC subways for Danial Perry. [sic] strangled Mr Neely to death. A judge – not a jury- decided that Penny was not guilty. I don’t understand,” wrote actress and activist Mia Farrow. In response, she noted that Penny was White and Neely was Black.

THE DANIEL PENNY TRIAL: THE KEY EVIDENCE JURORS ASKED TO SEE AND SEE DURING THE HEARING

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 24: Supporters of NYPD officer Jordan Neely protest a rally in support of Daniel Penny at Collect Pond Park on May 24, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“The certainty, not that one was really needed, is that our society does not see homeless people as people,” Jack Mirkinson, editor-in-chief of The Nation, wrote in Bluesky.

“I’m sick of the excitement on Twitter right now when Daniel Penny gets away with killing Jordan Neely, a homeless black man with mental issues. Disgusting,” Brooklyn Dad Defiant, a popular account with over 385,000 followers, posted to Bluesky.

“That Daniel Penny and Daniel Perry and Kyle Rittenhouse and George Zimmerman are all walking free in the most brutal nation on earth is something that demands attention,” wrote activist Joe Katz.

“Daniel Penny is a racist, classist, and skilled murderer. He should face the shame forever regardless of what the court does or does not do to him,” Tim Wise, chief executive of the African American Policy Forum, told X after the judge. dismissed the worst case against Penny. The post attracted more than 4 million views over the weekend.

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Protests against Daniel Penny outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. Penny was charged in connection with the death of Jordan Neely on the New York City subway in 2023. (John M. Mantel of Fox News Digital)

Many other libertarians on Bluesky made a connection between the recent killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and Penny’s withdrawal.

“Guess we can stop the manhunt for the CEO’s killer, vigilante killings are legal in NYC,” posted another Bluesky account with nearly 47,000 followers.

Black Lives Matter activists in New York previously threatened to protest if Penny was removed from the front.

After Penny’s conviction, New York BLM founder Hawk Newsome told reporters, “we need black people to be vigilant.”

“People want to jump and strangle us and kill us because we are loud? Can we do the same if they try to oppress us?” he added.

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Fox News’ Michael Ruiz, CB Cotton and Grace Taggart contributed to this report.