Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil. — Isaiah 5:20

Introduction

Daniel Penny has had his trial. But it’s not the trial we have been reading and hearing about in the news media. Individuals face many types of trials. In a culture of woke-ism and a perverted sense of what some call social justice, people can find themselves accused and even legally charged for actions, as well as the very words they use, actions that should in no way under the country’s constitution be considered a legal matter. When such challenges to common sense and decency occur, then people find themselves faced with the trials that life bring their way. Trials that are more real and honest than those so called jury trials in today’s institutions of justice.

The Context

The scene of the incident took place on a New York subway at the Second Avenue station. Jordan Neely, a homeless man, entered the subway and begin making threats toward people, stating that he was homeless, hungry, and wanted a job. He was heard to say, I don’t care if I go to prison, and then, someone is going to die today. Several of the subway passengers feared for their safety. Daniel Penny stepped forward and from behind took Neely down to the floor in a chokehold. Others helped Penny secure Neely until the authorities arrived. He was held in the chokehold for several minutes. (Some claim that Penny held him down for six minutes; Penny claimed that it was less than five minutes.) Neely was transported to a nearby New York hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Enter Manhattan DA’s

What would we do without woke DA’s politicizing justice to the point that the word just no longer has any meaning? Following Neely’s autopsy at the hospital where he died, the Manhattan medical examiner determined that Neely had died as a result of homicide. The toxicology report indicated that synthetic marijuana was found in Neely’s system. In addition he was known to be a homeless man who suffered from schizophrenia. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg sought to bring charges against Penny, including second degree manslaughter and negligent homicide. The case was prosecuted by Manhattan DA Dafna Yoran. The presiding judge, Maxwell Riley, had previously denied that charges against Penny be dropped. The trial ensued. The real trial of life, however, came when an individual who sought to prevent violence on a subway found himself charged with manslaughter and negligent homicide.

What Is Justice?

The fate of a civilization stands or falls based on its foundational principles. One of those principles is the idea of justice. People may claim that Penny had his fair trial and was found not guilty. But one must ask, did Penney’s trial truly represent any form of justice? What happens in a society when one steps forward to prevent a situation from escalating into possible violence is then charged with a violent crime? Ensconced in this society is the already woke politics regarding the homeless that leaves people like Neely on the streets without any decent help and care. Penny faced a trial all right, but rather than being in that Manhattan court room, it was a trial caused by that very institution of justice that has as its job description to protect citizens from violent assault. Neely was not mentally competent, but he could have injured someone that day on the subway. The situation should have never seen the light of day if the politics that be would allow for proper care of the homeless. Daniel Penny was not to blame for anything. And yes, there was a time when he would have not been charged at all. And that truth has nothing to do with Neely’s race or homelessness. It has everything to do with the disgusting woke-ism and political correctness of today’s culture.

Political Hype

The hue of cries has already begun to ring loud and clear from the woke crowd. BLM claims that Penny should not be called a hero – that coming from a group of people who burn and destroy private property in the name of protest. Others have labeled Penny a vigilante, proffering America’s thirst for vigilantism. The Wikipedia title for this incident says it all: Killing of Jordan Neely. The politically correct and woke will ring their bell loud, but what they say will have little, if anything, to do with justice. A civilization must ask itself if it can continue to be a civilized society with the sense of justice displayed in the Daniel Penny trial.

Conclusion

The stark injustice thrown at Daniel Penny has kicked off the trials he faces in life. What is equally sad is that the true injustice that Neely suffered has been lost in the politically correct hype and woke-ism of the day. The plight of the homeless is a reality that politicians have failed to answer since JFK emptied the state psychiatric hospitals back in the 1960’s. Compare and contrast Penney’s situation with another recent incident. Ben Johnson was gunned down, shot three times point blank in what appears to be a premeditated stake out and murder. However, Johnson in today’s flood of woke-ism and political correctness suffers the unfortunate position of being a millionaire working for an insurance company. People have hit the social media scene claiming that Johnson deserved what he got, and that the shooter is a hero. Would it really surprise anyone if some of these people celebrating Johnson’s murder were the same ones criminalizing Daniel Penny? Pick and choose – or socially construe – your own version of vigilantism. In a civilization where justice is a politicized social construct, what kind of justice can people expect or even hope for? Penny’s trials are ahead of him. Although found not guilty, his life has been irreparably altered by being charged with criminal intent for trying to protect people. His jury trial should have never seen the light of day. There was nothing just about what Daniel Penny had to experience with Manhattan’s legal system. The next time citizens in New York ride a subway, they should think about that.

John V. Jones, Jr., Ph.D./December 14th, 2024

ANALYSIS

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