The Issue: A deranged man killed on the subway after being put in a neck-hold by another passenger.
What happened on the F train earlier this week was, indeed, a complicated issue (“F-Train ‘Homicide,’ ” May 4).
A homeless man with obvious mental problems was blatantly threatening riders on a city subway car, and a male passenger grabbed him from behind and put him in a chokehold.
It’s sad what happens to decent people with real potential like this homeless man when they slide downhill. Jordan Neely was once an amusing Michael Jackson impersonator in spots around the city. So sad.
Wake up, Mayor Adams. Enough of the big talk. Time to focus on the No. 1 issue in New York City right now: the alarming number of mentally disturbed people living out in the streets and sleeping in the subway.
I have not seen a single one of the mental-health advocates you promised we’d see out in our neighborhoods, interacting with the homeless and trying to get them off the curbs and into a shelter — or at the very least, a proper medical evaluation.
Gary Stein
Manhattan
Referring to the unfortunate death of Jordan Neely on the F train, Comptroller Brad Lander commented, “NYC is not Gotham.”
I hate to admit this, but I agree with Lander 100%. Gotham City has Batman to protect innocent people. We have pro-criminal politicians like Lander and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who want to prosecute citizens who act in self-defense.
Barry Koppel
Kew Gardens Hills
It was unfortunate that an individual died on the subway due to a chokehold. Clearly the individual who used the chokehold had no evil intent.
Apparently, the deceased individual was menacing the passengers. A Good Samaritan stepped in to stop the incident.
But many questions have to be answered. Neely was supposedly held in the chokehold for 15 minutes. Why were the police not present?
Due to a drumbeat of stories in the media and criticism by politicians, the subway is perceived as a very dangerous place, even though statistically it is not.
However, perception is often treated as reality, and must be dealt with as such. There must be more resources provided to fight crime and mental illness. The subways are the lifeblood of New York City.
Alan Podhaizer
Brooklyn
Adams is absolutely correct in his criticism of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Lander, who have both rushed to judgment regarding the subway death of Jordan Neely.
Their premature proclamations of criminality without knowing all the facts is as irresponsible as it is ignorant.
Straphangers have had just about enough of being terrorized by threatening behavior on the subways. The physical confinement inherent in a subway car significantly intensifies the ominous nature and intimidation of aggressive conduct toward others.
Let Bragg do his job. AOC and Lander should use some restraint instead of reflexively jumping to assign blame.
Peter Janoff
Stamford, Conn.
Consider Neely’s plight: Diagnosed as mentally ill, he was homeless and hungry, and he’s been arrested more than 40 times including for violent behavior. He should have been hospitalized or incarcerated.
Surely, the death of Neely was unintentional. We can only imagine what this man would have done had the young Marine let him loose before the police arrived.
Adams should have addressed the homeless and mentally ill issue from the very start of his office. Instead, he has been providing food and shelter to the migrants whom he invited into the city. And the citizens? They’re left to fend for themselves.
Nicholas Maffei
Yonkers
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