A passenger on the New York City subway reportedly put a homeless man exhibiting mental distress in a chokehold for 15 minutes on Monday, after which the man died. The tragic incident is a reminder of how we need to temper reactionary rhetoric vilifying homeless people in cities across the country.
Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old man who reportedly was homeless and had a history of mental health issues, started shouting at passengers while traveling on the F train in Manhattan. “’I don’t have food, I don’t have a drink, I’m fed up,’” the man yelled, a witness told The New York Times. “‘I don’t mind going to jail and getting life in prison. I’m ready to die.’” He also apparently used threatening language — a law enforcement source with knowledge of the case told NBC News that an eyewitness said Neely said, “I’ll hurt anyone on this train.” Then, according to the New York Post, a 24-year-old Marine veteran came up behind Neely, took him to the ground and put him in a chokehold.
The chokehold was notable for a few reasons. No reporting indicates that Neely attempted to harm someone before he was placed in it. The person who placed Neely in a chokehold approached him from behind. The chokehold — a potentially lethal restraining position which aims to restrict blood flow or air flow —lasted 15 minutes, according to a witness. And news reports and video footage indicate that the chokehold was held well after the train had stopped and authorities were alerted, with multiple men helping restraining Neely after most passengers had left the subway car. In footage of the incident, a bystander can be heard expressing concern about the risk of Neely dying, in part because of the perceived intensity of the chokehold.
Neely lost consciousness and paramedics were unable to revive him. The veteran was taken into custody but released without charges. (That may change after autopsy results, according to the Post.)
Based on the known facts, it appears…
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