Homeless advocates call for action after Jordan Neely's death

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May 05, 2023 View online 1/ Jordan Neely wanted help. A brutal narrative about homelessness blamed him for his own death On a Monday afternoon F train in Manhattan, a passenger wrestled another man to the ground and wrapped his arm around his neck for several minutes. He died moments later. Jordan Neely's death was recorded by another passenger and preserved in a widely shared video. The 24-year-old white man who placed Neely in a chokehold has not been identified. He was released from police custody without any charges. His cause of death was a homicide. The 30-year-old Black man – known for his precise Michael Jackson impersonations on subway platforms while experiencing homelessness in New York City – died from the compression against his neck, according to the city's medical examiner. New Yorkers are no strangers to unstable or disruptive people who ride the city's 6,500 subway cars; subway riders typically keep to themselves and ignore them. But Neely's death has revived volatile media narratives about New York's homeless population, spinning an act of vigilantism to blame the person killed by it. The mayor and governor have not explicitly condemned the act of lethal violence, raising questions among New York leaders whether the city considers the life of a homeless Black man less valuable than a white stranger prepared to use deadly force. 2/CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to resign her position Her announcement comes as WHO declares end of global health emergency from Covid-19 3/ Trump mistook E Jean Carroll for his ex wife Marla Maples twice during deposition  Former president lobbed numerous insults during deposition 4/ Trump documents probe intensifies with subpoenas to employees and inner circle Prosecutors asked Trump Organization employees if surveillance footage of Mar-a-Lago could have been tampered with 5/ Supreme Court temporarily halts impending Richard Glossip execution amid potential appeal Republican officials in Oklahoma including state attorney general have raised doubts about conviction THE BIG QUESTION What now for the Proud Boys? On 4 May, Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys street gang, was found guilty of treason-related charges, alongside three other top figures in the neo-fascist hate group, for their role in encouraging the violent storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.   The verdict was among the most high-profile convictions in the Department of Justice (DoJ)'s sprawling prosecution of the riot, in which more than 1,000 people have been charged for their role in the attack intended to halt the certification of the 2020 election results and reinstate Donald Trump.   The convictions, which join the successful 6 January prosecutions of other far-right militia leaders from the Oath Keepers, may be a major win for the DoJ, but the Proud Boys remain a violent and influential force in American political life. 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