Protesters Storm Busy Subway Station and Halt Incoming Trains, Then One Makes a Near-Fatal Move
A mob flooded a Manhattan subway stop Saturday evening in protest against the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man who died in the subway Monday after being placed in a chokehold.
Witnesses have said Neely, who is black, was acting in an out-of-control manner when Daniel Penny and others intervened. Video showed Penny holding Neely in what appeared to be a chokehold. Nelly’s death has been ruled a homicide.
The Saturday evening protest at the Lexington Ave. and E. 63rd St. station on Manhattan’s Upper East Side included some protesters jumping onto the tracks in the path of an oncoming train. The more than 100 protesters managed to disrupt service until the tracks were cleared.
One man stood on a board that is meant to keep anyone from touching the third rail, which carries about 600 volts of electricity to operate the trains, according to the Daily News. Fortunately, that man was quick to jump off the board and move away from the danger, which can be seen in the video below.
Breaking: Protesters are now disrupting the subway in NYC for Jordan Neely pic.twitter.com/NSO5UjAs7x
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) May 6, 2023
“No justice, no peace!” the protesters chanted, according to the New York Post.
Some protesters refused to let those on the train get off, leading to arguments between passengers and protesters.
Seven people were arrested in the protests.
“It is a little bit kind of crazy that they did hold it on the train, and they were blocking the train tracks and stuff like that. I mean, that part is just a little bit out there, considering you know normally protests are marching in the streets,” protester Colleen Donahue said, according to CBS.
Violent leftist rioters clashed with police in NYC as they shut down part of the Metro subway to protest the death of #JordanNeely, a violent homeless man who died after being detained by several passengers. Video by @RebsBrannon: pic.twitter.com/lN0XZyrI9c
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) May 7, 2023
Al Sharpton lashed out at the chokehold incident.
“This man had a mental issue, and the way you handle that is not to put him in a chokehold and squeeze the life out of him,” Sharpton said.
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said Penny must be charged in the incident.
“How can no one be charged? That man, Jordan Neely, is dead because he was black, homeless and angry. That’s why he was killed,” he said.
“What happened here is someone held somebody in a chokehold and choked him to death. There has to be accountability for that.”
Anne Mitcheltree, who was punched in the head by Neely in a 2021 incident, said Neely should not have been on the loose, according to the New York Post.
“I don’t know why he didn’t end up in Bronx Psychiatric Center,” Mitcheltree said.
“This is a common understanding in psychiatry, that agitated people who are aggressive get themselves killed,” she said.
Mitcheltree said she assumed after being arrested, Neely would be confined.
“They told me we have him, he’s in custody, we’re going to press charges,” Mitcheltree said. “I thought the judge would have forced him to take psychiatric meds, but it seems like he bounced out.”
“After assaulting all these women in all these cases, and knowing that he was dangerous, they just let him go.”
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