As the Danny Penny jury deliberates, this farce of a trial has made one thing abundantly plain: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg needs to go. This case never should have gone to court. The prosecution's own witnesses proved that every rational person in that subway car - veterans of the subway system - feared for their lives after Jordan Neely burst through the doors and began ranting death threats as he half-lunged at other straphangers. Penny heroically acted to protect them.
It's a tragedy that Neely wound up dead, but Penny was far from the only author of that tragedy: The failure to address his severe schizophrenia illness (even after he skipped early, just two months before the fatal day, out of treatment mandated after a 2021 assault) and his compromised physical health, including the synthetic marijuana in his system at time of death, all played a role.
Even if Penny's found innocent on all charges, his ordeal still sends a grim message to all New Yorkers: Don't even think about standing up to protect the innocent.
Bragg's prosecution of individuals defending themselves against violent acts raises concerns about the judicial system’s priorities. Each case, whether it's Jose Alba, a bodega clerk, or the others mentioned, reflects a troubling trend where self-defense is met with legal retribution.
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