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Decade-Old Post Warns New Yorkers About Jordan Neely: 'Stay Away from the Michael Jackson Impersonator'

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The case of Jordan Neely has rekindled some of the spirit of George Floyd and the summer of 2020 among the professional protester class.

The homeless man’s death last week on the New York City subway is, of course, a tragedy — but one that’s being amplified because leftists are determined to use him in any way that they can.

Neely has been painted by protesters as a beloved Michael Jackson impersonator who didn’t need to be restrained by a Marine veteran whose chokehold on the man ultimately led to his death. They’re disregarding the fact eyewitness reports seem to indicate otherwise — and that Neely has a long history of mental illness and arrests.

According to WABC-TV, Neely was arrested 44 times for assault, attempted child abduction, indecent exposure and drugs. In another 43 cases, he was taken in by mental health care workers. WCBS-TV reported that, at 2:27 p.m. on the day Neely died, 911 began receiving calls from the subway regarding Neely’s behavior, including that he was armed and that an assault was underway.

Amid the inflamed leftist narrative, though, word is emerging of a social media post published a decade ago that specifically warned readers to “stay away” from Neely.

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Even liberal fact-checker Snopes, after looking into it (almost certainly intending to prove the post was false) couldn’t deny it.

“For years, several reports described Neely as a locally known Micheal [sic] Jackson impersonator who regularly performed in the New York City subway system. According to family members, friends, and fellow Jackson impersonators, his mental health, as well as his act, deteriorated over time, and by 2013 he was often yelling at commuters,” Snopes reported.

“According to a post in Reddit, 2013 seems to have been when New York regulars noticed a change in the performer’s behavior. His actions, according to several commentators sharing the old post, warranted at least one Reddit thread in 2013.”

The post, in the r/NYC community on the social media site, warned readers to “stay away from the Michael Jackson impersonator if you see him” — that impersonator apparently being Jordan Neely.

“Used to be all cool, dancing to MJ in the subway train, but as of late he’s become a maniac,” the user wrote.

“Sometime in late Spring/early Summer I saw him in the train, his radio f***ed up and he was angry as f***, cursing and bad mouthing commuters screaming ‘What the f*** are you looking at? Dont f***ing look at me!’ Totally didn’t expect him to act as such.”

The poster noted that “since that day he’s just been a scary dude to me. He doesn’t dress up anymore. No more dancing…just asks for money. Occasionally shouting obscenities.”

“Today, however was odd. Sometime in the morning, on my way to school I’m sitting on the bench and out of nowhere hear someone just going off, cussing up a storm. It was the MJ dude. Everyone besides this guy was quite. [sic] A [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] crew was there but did nothing and just let him continue blow his gasket. Train arrives and I just get in the car he’s not in because I’m sure as f*** not getting in the same car as him. Dude didn’t even wait till he got inside the train. I was scared for the people next to him out of fear that some one was gonna fall on the tracks.”

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“Just avoid the guy at all costs, try not to look at him at all. Stay safe,” the poster urged other New York City residents.

In an update to decade-old post on Thursday, the original writer had this to say: “Listen, I’m not deleting this post. I have muted this thread so I stopped getting alerts. This is NOT an excuse for you right wing lunatics to be acting wild in the comments or spew your anti-black bull crap, so please refrain.”

Furthermore, internet users discovered another video, this one featuring the late “Howard Stern Show” personality Joey Boots getting into a confrontation with Neely, posted well over a decade ago.

WARNING: The following video contains extremely graphic language that some viewers will find offensive.



Granted, Boots did provoke Neely — but he backs off as Neely becomes threatening, as well as using language that might disturb the left in other circumstances. As one Twitter user noted, “Here is Jordan Neely openly attacking the gay community, drag queens, and using homophobic slurs before physically assaulting a man. Where do liberals go from here?”

Now, the Jordan Neely case is a genuine tragedy, one that could have been averted if Neely was where he should have been — in a mental health facility or behind bars.

According to WABC, “Neely was reportedly on an unofficial city list of the top 50 homeless people most in need of care.” He was also under investigation for pushing someone onto the tracks and had an arrest warrant out for him for punching a 67-year-old woman, according to the New York Post.

Is it any surprise, however, that it ended this way? And on the New York City subway, a transportation system that’s seen no shortage of crime in recent years?

Decent people should be genuinely saddened for Neely’s family and friends, but the left’s cries for a murder charge for restraining an individual undergoing a psychotic break with no law enforcement in sight are misplaced and erroneous.

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When even Snopes has to admit New York City residents have been warning other residents about Neely for over a decade, you know it’s bad.

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C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture




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