Fundraiser for Jordan Neely suspect Daniel Penny reaches over $1.3 million
Jenny Goldsberry Emily Jacobs
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Attorneys for Daniel Penny, the man charged with manslaughter in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway this week, have raised over $1.3 million for his legal defense fund.
Over 28,000 donors have contributed to the fundraiser on GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding site, since its launch on Tuesday by Penny’s lawyers. Penny, a 24-year-old Marine veteran, turned himself in on manslaughter charges on Thursday related to the death of Neely. He was released on $100,000 bond and was required to turn in his passport.
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“Funds are being raised to pay Mr. Penny’s legal fees incurred from any criminal charges filed and any future civil lawsuits that may arise, as well as expenses related to his defense,” the fundraising page reads.
“All contributions are greatly appreciated,” the page added. “Any proceeds collected which exceed those necessary to cover Mr. Penny’s legal defense will be donated to a mental health advocacy program in New York City.”
Penny’s attorney Thomas Kenniff of Raiser & Kenniff, P.C., claimed that his client was unwelcome on the better-known GoFundMe crowdfunding site, saying during a radio interview on the Cats & Cosby show, “GoFundMe doesn’t want people like my client to raise money.” Using a lesser-known website can have its flaws, however, as evidenced when the GiveSendGo page was temporarily disabled on Saturday amid heavy traffic.
Neely, 30, was a street artist known for Michael Jackson impersonations whose mental health and drug abuse struggles led him to bouts of homelessness.
A freelance journalist aboard the northbound F train when the tragic incident occurred said that Neely acted erratically as soon as he boarded the car. He shouted that he was hungry, thirsty, and had little to live for and threw trash at other passengers as they became visibly uncomfortable and moved away.
Perry then came up from behind and placed Neely in a chokehold as two unidentified males aided in restraining the homeless man. The three continued to restrain Neely for several minutes until his lifeless body stopped fighting back.
The situation has divided New Yorkers, with hundreds protesting in the days after to demand charges against Penny and others.
For his part, Penny’s lawyers said in a statement late last week that their client was not acting in pursuit of harming Neely, but instead to protect himself and others from an erratic man having a mental health episode.
“When Mr. Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived,” the statement read. “Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.”
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That explanation wasn’t sufficient to the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights icon, who said at his weekly rally last Saturday of the viral footage, “I’m looking at the video. You got one man choking and the other holding him down. They all need to be in front of a grand jury.”
“This man needs to be prosecuted cause what you will do if you do not prosecute him, in my judgment, is you will set a standard of vigilantism that we cannot tolerate,” he continued. “The precedent alone is a threat to all of us. We cannot allow this lawlessness to go unchecked.”