As we witness the closing stages of the trial for Daniel Penny, the former Marine who is being charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in New York City, we’re being reminded of a brutal truth that goes far beyond the corruption of our justice system and strikes to the core of our society’s descent into chaos.
On May 1, 2023, Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless schizophrenic with a substantial criminal record, a history of drug abuse, and an active arrest warrant who would hear the devil’s voice and hallucinate conversations with Tupac Shakur, allegedly boarded the New York City Subway while high on drugs and screamed death threats at passengers, announcing that he didn’t care if he died while threatening to “kill a motherf***er.”
With New York City law enforcement nowhere to be found, Penny defended his fellow passengers, subduing Neely until police arrived seven minutes later.
In a sane and moral world, Penny would be praised as a hero. But we do not live in a sane and moral world. Because in our world, Penny might serve 15 years in prison for doing what no other person was willing to do: defend others against a deadly threat.
Of course, many parallels can be drawn between this case and the infamous death of George Floyd in 2020, including a reframing of the alleged victim bordering on fantasy (Neely is routinely referred to only as a black homeless man and a former street performer), a rewriting of history (it’s often ignored that Neely was actively threatening deadly violence against his fellow passengers), and a dismissal of medical testimony (New York City’s medical examiner blamed Neely’s death on Penny based solely on video footage of the altercation, before any toxicology results had been found). Meanwhile, Dr. Satish Chundru, an expert for the defense, testified that Neely died from a combination of drug abuse, a sickle cell crisis, psychosis, and exertion from the struggle with Penny.
But according to New York City prosecutors, the only information that matters is that Penny is white and Neely is black. Witnesses for the prosecution were even allowed to describe Penny as “the white man.” Case closed: The white man is guilty. Sound familiar?
But this case represents far more than the race-obsessed corruption of cities such as New York. Why? Because Penny is one of the few men among us willing to act in the face of danger. Consider the seemingly countless videos we see of violence on our streets. Women beaten and robbed, elderly people pushed down and abused, business owners attacked in their own doorways. And what do we say? “Why doesn’t someone do something?”
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Well, this is why. Penny did something. He did the right thing and protected innocent and law-abiding citizens from the violence of a drug-addled maniac. And he might lose 15 years of his life for doing the right thing.
There’s a phrase that is often, erroneously, attributed to philosopher Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Penny is a good man. Throwing him in prison for being a good man is how you guarantee that good men do nothing.
Ian Haworth is a columnist, speaker, and podcast host. You can find him on Substack and follow him on X at @ighaworth.