As Americans, we like to think that one of the cornerstones of our society is a fair and impartial justice system. That idea has been questioned in recent years, with never-ending indictments of President-elect Donald Trump and the case of first son Hunter Biden. The perception of a two-tiered justice system has been glaring. One for the well-connected with the right letter after their name, and another for everyone else. However, in New York, two cases may have us wondering if there are other tiers of justice as well.
You can’t make this up: Dafna Yoran is the Manhattan prosecutor currently throwing the book at Daniel Penny.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 3, 2024
In 2019, she gave a reduced sentence to a black man who murdered an asian college professor as he was withdrawing cash from an ATM.
She said that it was under the guise… pic.twitter.com/Za3kWmNSWL
She said that it was under the guise of “restorative justice” and ended up giving him 10 years for manslaughter after he was originally charged with murder. Now she’s attempting to imprison an innocent man who protected a group of people on the subway.
Closing arguments are being heard this week in the case of Daniel Penny. Penny, a former Marine, is on trial for the choking death of Jordan Neely in May of 2023. He is charged with manslaughter and reckless homicide. If convicted, he could face 15 years in prison. Here are the facts as we know them. Jordan Neely, a homeless man who was later found to be under the influence of drugs and suffering from schizophrenia, boarded the subway train, became belligerent, and began threatening other passengers, saying things like "I don't care if I die. I don't care if you die. Lock me up for life." Penny subdued Neely in a chokehold until police arrived. Neely later died, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Related: Daniel Penny Case Shows the Utter Failure of Progressivism (VIP)
While the entire nation has heard of this case, there is another one, eerily similar, that occurred about a month after Daniel Penny's ordeal. In June of 2023, Jordan Williams was riding on the subway with his girlfriend. Also on the train was Devictor Quedraogo. According to law enforcement, Quedraogo had been acting erratically and became belligerent with other passengers. Toxicology reports as to whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol were pending. One of the passengers Quedraogo was harassing was Williams's girlfriend. Williams claimed he told Quedraogo to stop harassing his girlfriend and pushed him. Other accounts say that Quedraogo punched Williams's girlfriend.
What happened next is unclear, but cell phone video showed a scuffle ensued between Williams and Quedraogo. Williams stabbed Quedraogo in the chest. He was charged with manslaughter and weapon possession. As he was being led out of a police precinct, he was asked if he acted in self-defense; Williams nodded his head, "Yes."
NYC subway stabbing: Jordan Williams has charges dropped after arguing he killed fellow passenger in self-defense
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 3, 2024
Weird how this standard doesn’t apply to Daniel Penny in the same city
Why is that? https://t.co/YD0i6RXWzE
The circumstances in these two cases are remarkably similar. Two men confronted on a subway train, a confined space, by an unpredictable, potentially violent individual. One witness in the Penny case stated that, while she did not see a weapon on Jordan Neely, she said, "But I truly felt that he was most likely armed."
The outcomes in these cases, however, are very different. Jordan Williams killed Devictor Quedraogo on June 13, 2023. It took a little more than two weeks for a Grand Jury to decline to indict him on the manslaughter and weapon possession charges. Daniel Penny's fate is now in the hands of a jury. Besides the outcomes, there is also another difference. Jordan Williams is black; Daniel Penny is white.
These are both cases of self-defense, and one might also argue, being a good Samaritan, looking out for fellow subway passengers. Daniel Penny has not been charged with any hate crimes, yet his life hangs in the balance. If there is a racial component in the Penny case, it has been created by the prosecutor herself. Manhattan prosecutor Dafna Yoran claims that Penny "didn't recognize that Jordan Neely was a person" and merely "saw him as a person that needed to be eliminated." Yet Yoran allowed witnesses to describe Penny as "the white man" and even a "murderer." Really? So, is it okay to dehumanize some people but not others? Penny's defense team rightly objected to the language and asked for a mistrial but was denied.
Because Dafna Yoran works for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, we have to assume he condones this. He has certainly made no effort to dispel that notion. The suggestion that Penny is being prosecuted for no other reason than his skin color is also not one being made by a few crazies. It is a credible possibility being brought up by credible people.
Daniel Penny now awaits a jury of his peers to decide the outcome of his case. The outcome could make anyone attempting to assist his fellow citizens think twice before doing so in the future. And will that second thought, especially in New York, include weighing what you look like, too?
Yet, because Daniel Penny is a white man he's facing murder charges. https://t.co/mh5vvVt2IL
— Lisa Boothe 🇺🇸 (@LisaMarieBoothe) June 29, 2023
