Some Call New York Subway Choking Criminal, Others Sentence

NEW YORK (AP) — The suffocation of a man at the hands of another New York subway passenger sparked a strong reaction Thursday, calling it a criminal and racist act, even though authorities withheld the murder verdict. Some people called it

New York has become one of the safest metropolitan cities in the nation, but the emotional response echoes decades ago, when residents were surrounded by crime and deadly vigilante acts made national headlines. It reminds me of the city.

Manhattan prosecutors have promised a “rigorous” investigation into whether to bring charges against the death of a black man who was attacked by a passenger and strangled by a white Marine veteran.

The coroner’s office ruled Wednesday night that 30-year-old Jordan Neely died of murder due to neck compression, but said any determination of criminal liability would be left to the legal system.

Regardless, many New Yorkers saw the suffocation as the latest in a long history of attacks on black city dwellers.

“We’re like animals in the white man’s backyard. They want us out,” said Diango Cici, 53, who lives in Manhattan.

Neely, who made money in the past by imitating Michael Jackson, died Monday after an early afternoon crash on a train ride below Manhattan. Neely was screaming at his passenger when another rider wrapped his arms around his neck and pinned him to the floor. Two other passengers also helped restrain Neely.

Marine Corps recruits are routinely taught to perform and defend chokeholds that can knock someone unconscious in as little as eight seconds, according to a 2020 revised military manual.

Due to the deadly risk of chokeholds, New York City has banned the use of chokeholds by police officers. A police officer has been fired for using a chokehold on black New Yorker Eric Garner.

The U.S. Department of Justice website called the chokeholds “intrinsically dangerous” and “too often led to tragedy.”

Although no one has been arrested, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said late Wednesday it reviewed the autopsy report and said it would “evaluate all available video and photo footage and identify and interview as many witnesses as possible. and obtain additional medical records.”

Police questioned the 24-year-old, whose video held Neely in a headlock for at least three minutes (and possibly more), but released him without charge. His name was not released by police, but his connection to the Marine Corps was revealed by law enforcement officers who were not authorized to release the information, and he was asked to remain anonymous as the investigation was not yet completed. said on condition that

It was not clear why the passengers tried to restrain Neely. One witness, a freelance journalist on the train who documented Neely falling unconscious when he was restrained, said Neely acted aggressively and threw his jacket, but no one attacked him. said.

With no video showing what prompted the attack, many withheld judgment.

In an appearance on CNN Tuesday night, former police chief Eric Adams said there are still too many unknowns.

“We don’t know exactly what happened here,” Adams said, adding, “We can’t say outright what a passenger should or shouldn’t do in a situation like that and an investigation is underway. should be entrusted to,” he added.

On Wednesday afternoon, a group of protesters gathered at the train station where Neely died, calling for his arrest.

Kyle Ishmael, 38, from Harlem, said he was “disgusted” by watching a video of the incident.

“I couldn’t believe this was happening on the subway in my city where I grew up,” he said.

Buskers who knew him described Neely as a kind, talented impressionist who fell into depression as a result of his mother’s death. According to reports at the time, Christie Neely was strangled in 2007. Neely, who died at the age of 14, testified against his mother’s boyfriend in a murder trial.

Tali Tudesco, a backup dancer for the Michael Jackson tribute act “Michael’s Mirror,” said many in the community were concerned about Neely’s absence in recent years and began looking for him, but to no avail.

“We were shocked to find out he was living homeless,” she said. “We feel terrible.”

In a statement, Reverend Al Sharpton called for an investigation into Neely’s death as possible manslaughter. In this case, a white gunman who shot and killed four of his black men on a subway train was convicted of firearms crime.

“We can’t go back to a place where vigilantism is acceptable. It wasn’t acceptable then and it isn’t acceptable now,” Sharpton said.

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New York Associated Press researcher Rhonda Schaffner and Washington reporter Lolita Bardot contributed to this report.