Justice done by a jury of the defendant’s peers
Stamford, Conn.: Daniel Penny’s acquittal in the subway death of Jordan Neely is an example of the wisdom of our jury trial system. Penny, who was originally questioned by police on the date of Neely’s death, was released without being arrested. It was only after 10 days of outrage when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg succumbed to public pressure and filed felony charges against Penny.
Now, after a full and fair criminal trial, a jury of Penny’s peers has delivered a verdict of not guilty. Ordinarily, the circumstances of a criminal case become sterilized when they are evaluated in a courtroom. The event itself is left behind and the case gets tried under a set of rules and standards that strips away the real-world reality of what occurred. Fortunately, the jurors, all Manhattan residents by law, saw through the prosecutors’ attempt to sanitize the grit.
A subway car can be an ominous place. Passengers are sealed in with no place to retreat. Threatening behavior is magnified a thousand-fold. What might be a harmless rant on the streets becomes a terrorizing experience in the subways. New Yorkers understand this and were able to properly visualize Neely’s conduct as it actually occurred, notwithstanding Bragg’s effort to trivialize it as harmless.
No one on that train knew how dangerous Neely’s behavior would become. Penny acted with courage to subdue a threat that terrorized a car full of straphangers. Yes, Neely’s death was unfortunate, but as the saying goes, it’s better to be judged by 12 than to be carried by six. Peter Janoff
Lethal signal
Kearny, N.J.: Wow, so you can literally choke the life out of a man who hadn’t really done much more than panhandle, get off scot-free and go on with your life without any consequences at all. What a dangerous message to send in this stressed-out, angry and divided nation. John Woodmaska
Vigilante threat
Far Rockaway: Dear Mayor Adams, due to the not-guilty verdict of Penny, I implore you to place more police officers on the subway trains more often than you do. I know for a fact that kids who take the subways can be loud and a bit boisterous (I’m a subway rider). How long will it be before someone’s child becomes a victim of a do-gooder who wants to save people from children who behave in a manner that displeases? Please, protect our children. Ora Reed
Crossed a sacred line
Fresh Meadows: I am so blessed to be a white person with a job in the New York area, and poor Jordan Neely was not! I am stunned and ashamed of the jury, mostly women, who acquitted Daniel Penny. Granted, he was able to subdue Neely, but he really should have left it at that and not killed Neely without conscience of wrongdoing whatsoever. Lesley Lewis Paulos
Times haven’t changed
Manhattan: Penny’s trial reminded me of the Bernie Goetz affair, when, in 1984, Goetz shot and wounded four Black youths on a subway train who had asked Goetz for money. He shot two in the back, and one subsequently sued Goetz and won a $43 million judgement against him. At the time of the shooting, Goetz was proclaimed a hero by the tabloids and lovingly compared to the vigilante subway gunman portrayed by Charles Bronson in the hit movie “Death Wish,” who nonchalantly massacres young Black men. Goetz stood trial for attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and firearms offenses. The jury found him guilty on just one count of carrying an unlicensed firearm, for which he served eight months in prison. I expect that Penny’s beating the rap reflects the fear of the judiciary in crossing Donald Trump’s virulent MAGA base, which will celebrate the death of a hapless youth who the country long ago left for dead. Ron Spurga
Brace for backlash
Bronx: With the not guilty verdict for Penny and the possible protests, this will test how the new police commissioner handles herself in these upcoming days. If there are not-so-peaceful protests, time will tell. Jimmy Durda
Ideal vs. real
Staten Island: Taking issue with the Leonard Greene piece regarding the Penny/Neely tragedy (“He may skate on slay,” column, Dec. 8). No one’s opinion besides those actually on the subway carry much weight. The could-have, would-have, should-have piece is meaningless. Where was the Neely family all the years he was living on the streets, using drugs, committing 40-plus crimes and punching an innocent woman just standing on the subway platform? They wasted no time filing their civil suit! How are the rights of law-abiding citizens served when the media repeatedly publishes 15-year-old photos of Neely as a Michael Jackson street performer rather than the spiraling-out-of-control mentally ill person he became? Just how much the general public is expected to reasonably endure on their commute doesn’t begin to address the problems we are dealing with. Ellen Settanni
Cases in contrast
Jacksonville, Fla: I find it disturbing that people, including Leonard Greene, manage to convict Penny for not knowing how long to hold someone — in this case, a crazed man — before letting him go. I somehow doubt that he, nor 99% of the people who wanted Penny convicted of something, have ever been in the same situation. In contrast, just weeks later, Jordan Williams stabbed to death a man who was being aggressive and irrational, much like Neely. No charges were prosecuted even though Williams, who is Black, had an illegal weapon and ran from the scene. There was, as opposed to the Neely case, little doubt as to the outcome when you stick a knife in a man’s chest. Where is the outrage for Williams’ victim? Greene and other judges of how long someone should be held in a chokehold should try applying their outrage equally. T.A. Summerlin
You weren’t there
Glendale: When columnist Leonard Greene passes judgment about an incident at which he was not present, he free-associates with a mentality that warrants scrutiny. A bigger question about his determining that Penny did anything wrong in attempting to stop a deranged man from harassing and threatening others on the train can’t possibly be resolved when race is brought into the equation. Would Greene feel as adamant if both people were of the same race? It begs explanation and verification. Sadly, agenda-driven rhetoric serves only to further the divide that our country no longer wants to see and proliferate. Witnesses who were on the train that day are the only people who can attest to how they were feeling. Speculations do not necessarily reflect reality. Sorry, Mr. Greene, mending your personal grievances toward others doesn’t mean you can become the judge and jury on anything except your own emotions. Jonathan Kiddrane
To help or not to help
Brooklyn: In his case against Penny in Sunday’s Daily News, Leonard Greene compares his recent experience on the train with that of Penny. He also commends himself for not helping a female passenger who was being harassed by someone who was obviously not in their right mind. No doubt, most riders would take Penny over Greene in this situation. Greene also focuses on race and leaves out many pertinent facts in the case in order to vilify Penny. Would he be defending Penny if the two men were their opposite colors? Jack Flynn
Man of action
Manhattan: To Leonard Greene: I read your column three times to understand your thinking and realized that, like you, I am basically a coward at heart. When faced with a threat, you sat by like all others, hoping it would go away or someone else would come to the rescue. You would not have killed him, but you also would not have tried to prevent him from harming others, yet you are ready to pass judgment on a man who rose to a threat that you admit you were not ready to meet — and I am not sure how I would have handled that situation. Personally, I think Penny should get the key to the city for rising to what most of our citizens fear awaits them on a daily basis in New York City. Carl Maury
