NYC SUBWAY CHOKING DEATH IS NOTHING TO CELEBRATE

On 2024-12-11, Representative Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL-1) delivered a floor speech titled "NYC SUBWAY CHOKING DEATH IS NOTHING TO CELEBRATE" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered foreign policy, trade policy.

NYC SUBWAY CHOKING DEATH IS NOTHING TO CELEBRATE

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)] [House] [Page H6813] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] NYC SUBWAY CHOKING DEATH IS NOTHING TO CELEBRATE The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) for 5 minutes. Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise because one of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle has introduced legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal for heroism to Mr. Daniel Penny for choking a man to death on the New York City subway. Just the other day, a New York City jury found Daniel Penny not guilty of the choke-hold death of Jordan Neely. To think that Members of this body would consider the circumstances of this case to be anything other than a complete tragedy for everyone is cruel. When a young man is suffering from a mental health breakdown and loses his life at the hands of a 24-year-old veteran, who is probably also suffering from a particular set of challenges, there is absolutely nothing to celebrate here. {time} 1130 I say this, Mr. Speaker, because even the prosecutor said that Mr. Penny went too far. Mr. Neely was not just a Michael Jackson impersonator who was crying out, both hungry and thirsty. Mr. Neely was not a distressed person on a train or some kind of public nuance, as was described. He was someone's son, he was somebody's friend, and he was no less a part of the fabric of this American mosaic as any one of us who rightfully stands here today. Yes, no one could deny that Jordan Neely had challenges, but who among us does not have people in our districts who are suffering from all kinds of struggles and setbacks. Each and every one of us represent people who are wrestling with the vicissitudes of life each and every day. Yes, like millions of Americans, Jordan Neely was homeless. He struggled from mental illness after his mother was murdered in 2007. In spite of all of his challenges, Mr. Neely was a human being. He was as much a person worthy of respect as anybody and no less deserving of compassion and de-escalation as any of us in this Chamber. When he got on the train that day, he had no weapon, he had not touched anyone, and more importantly, he was asking for help. Instead of encountering kindness, he was choked to death. Rather than being seen as a brother and a sister, we have become so heartless that we see each other as combatants in a war that none of us can win as long as we are committed to fighting each other. I wonder today: Have we become so desensitized to cruelty that we would dare to celebrate savagery in this Chamber without regard for the tragic loss of life? When a jury cannot determine that a man should not be executed for having a mental outburst, one wonders is this the future of justice in America for people who are not well, for people who are not rich, for people not living in a home with locked doors and carpeted hallways? There are over 110 billionaires who live in New York City, but Jordan was not one of those persons. The greatest amalgamation of wealth in the history of the world congregates in the city of New York, but Jordan Neely was not a part of it. Yet, he was as American as any of the captains of industry who work on Wall Street, who fly off to the Hamptons in order to enjoy their weekend pursuits. All over the city of Chicago, people are wondering: If the racial roles were reversed, would Mr. Penny have been allowed to walk away without any accountability? I find the jury decision to be appalling on many levels and not the least of which because all life is sacred. As long as one of us is disposable, then all of us are in the candidacy to fall victim to the reaffirming silence that allows evil to flourish. The denunciation of cruelty should not be a partisan issue. We should not be so eager to run to our partisan corners when it comes to mental illness and the tragic loss of life. I say to my colleagues and to the American people: There should be no medals for this act. There should be no knee-jerk partisan celebration that degrades the life of a man suffering from mental illness by making a mockery of his death. I hope in the days to come, all of us will do what we can to inspire our constituents to find a more excellent way. I pray that in the weeks to come, we will resist the temptation to give in to the darker impulses that live in the shadows of our great democratic experiment. We will, in the best of our ability, work to ensure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all who make this country their home. ____________________