Notes on the Jordan Neely Subway Tragedy
Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.
Question of the Week
A 30-year-old man behaves erratically on an afternoon New York City subway train. In an aggressive tone, in the midst of an apparent mental-health crisis, he declares, “I don’t have food; I don’t have a drink; I’m fed up. I don’t mind going to jail and getting life in prison. I’m ready to die.” A fellow passenger––a 24-year-old former marine––grabs him and uses a chokehold to restrain him, with assistance from others. Soon after, the 30-year-old, Jordan Neely, dies. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death homicide by compression of the neck. Some witnesses to the incident have spoken to the press, whereas others have yet to do so.
Where do you land on any of the ongoing debates about Jordan Neely, the man who was killed; Daniel Penny, the man who killed him; subsequent protests in New York City; or associated issues such as homelessness, the mental-health system, whether the race of Neely (Black) and Penny (white) are relevant or not, whether Neely’s history of perpetrating violence bears on the altercation, and when it is legitimate, if ever, for bystanders to intervene to preempt a perceived threat?
Send your responses to conor@theatlantic.com.
Conversations of Note
that “Jordan Neely did not deserve to die after a former Marine
