The many accomplices to the Killing of Jordan Neely

“His mental illness screamed of profits prioritized over people …His Blackness disquieted the American ideals and sensibilities that proclaim us all equal

- Marc H. Morial

His existence, on that train, on that day, exposed just how poorly America cares for her people and how poorly we care for one another.” -- Brittany Packnett Cunningham

One man faces charges of criminal manslaughter, but Jordan Neely’s death had many accomplices.

Ignorance and fear of mental illness. Implicit racial bias. A desperately inadequate health care system. Reckless and distorted political rhetoric about violent crime.

Jordan Neely didn’t fall through the cracks. The world where he existed is nothing but cracks.

Neely’s short, tortured life ended in the 15 minutes Daniel Penny gripped him in a chokehold on a New York City subway--but as a severely mentally ill Black man in America, Neely spent most of his adult life at risk of a violent death.

Most Americans experiencing a serious physical health crisis in public can expect to end up in a hospital, receiving treatment. An American experiencing a mental health crisis is far more likely to end up in prison – or killed at the hands of emergency responders. Black Americans with mental illness are even more likely to face a tragic outcome.