News/Commentary

Adams blasts AOC for calling Marine who subdued hostile homeless man in chokehold a ‘murderer’

May 4, 2023 | | Print Article

New York City Mayor Eric Adams excoriated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Wednesday for branding a former Marine as a “murderer” after he subdued an unstable homeless man named Jordan Neely on a subway by using a chokehold that ultimately resulted in his death.

Adams called Ocasio-Cortez “irresponsible” for her comments on the incident which started a war of words between the two Democrats.

Neely, 30, was known to many subway riders for his Michael Jackson impersonations. The Daily Mail is reporting that he had a breakdown after his mother was killed. He reportedly had a history of mental issues.

Neely’s father, Andre Zachery, told the New York Daily News that his son had become a “complete mess” after his mother was strangled to death by his stepfather in 2007. He evidently had a major mental breakdown after that.

As protesters gathered on the New York City subway system after Neely’s death, Ocasio-Cortez incited them even further by claiming that the homeless black man was “murdered.” Her words came after the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide but no decision has been made on whether to press charges against the Marine yet. That decision will be made by the district attorney’s office.

(Video Credit: Daily Mail)

(Video Credit: Daily Mail)

“Jordan Neely was murdered. But bc Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges. It’s disgusting,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

“It is appalling how so many take advantage of headlines re: crime for an obsolete ‘tough on crime’ political, media, & budgetary gain, but when a public murder happens that reinforces existing power structures, those same forces rush to exonerate&look the other way. We shouldn’t,” she added.

Adams called Neely’s death “tragic” and added, “There’s a lot we don’t know about what happened here. However, we do know that there were serious mental health issues in play here, which is why our administration has made record investments in providing care to those who need it and getting people off the streets and the subways, and out of dangerous situations.”

Neely had been arrested at least 44 times on charges such as assault and disorderly conduct. He was screaming and acting in an aggressive manner when the 24-year-old Marine subdued him, holding him in a chokehold for about 15 minutes. The subduer was taken into custody and released without charges. His identity has not been released.

The leftist congresswoman went on to tweet concerning Adams’ comments regarding Neely’s death, “This honestly feels like a new low: not being able to clearly condemn a public murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem ‘too low’ to care about. The last sentence is especially rich from an admin trying to cut the very services that could have helped him.”

For good measure, she also retweeted a tweet bashing the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group.

Adams didn’t take the bashing from the “Squad” member lying down.

He appeared on CNN Primetime on Wednesday night and clapped back, “Well, both the Congresswoman and the Comptroller — the Comptroller’s a city-wide leader and I don’t think that’s very responsible at a time when we’re still investigating the situation. Let’s let the DA conduct his investigation with the law enforcement officials, to really interfere with that is not the right thing to do.”

(Video Credit: CNN)

Protesters began gathering at New York City’s Broadway-Lafayette subway station on Wednesday to protest Neely’s death. They chanted “black lives matter,” “Justice for Jordan Neely,” “F*** Eric Adams,” and “The homeless matter.”

The NYPD arrived on the scene carrying bundles of zip-ties. A number of arrests were made.

Reactions to Neely’s death were all over the place from New Yorkers and politicians. Some called it a lethal overreaction to someone with mental illness. Others praised the Marine’s actions.

It’s unclear why Neely was subdued by the Marine and two others who held his arms down.

Users on Twitter took issue with Ocasio-Cortez labeling the Marine a “murderer”:

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