The Media Is Calling Jordan Neely A "Michael Jackson Impersonator" And Ignoring His Long History Of Violence Toward New Yorkers

When George Floyd died in 2020, the whole country erupted with cries of systemic racism and white supremacy. Floyd's life came to an end while being restrained by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. The incident sparked widespread protests across the United States and even the world, with demonstrators calling for an end to police brutality. The Black Lives Matter movement played a prominent role in the protests, drawing attention to the issue of police violence against black people and advocating for policy changes to address it. We later learned that Floyd had a long rap sheet of violence and crime (even toward innocent pregnant women). Now we're faced with yet another case of so-called racism, this time with a homeless man in New York City.

The Media Is Calling Jordan Neely a "Michael Jackson Impersonator" and Ignoring His Long History of Violence Toward New Yorkers

Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old black man, died on Monday, May 1, 2023, after being placed in a chokehold by a 24-year-old man during a confrontation on a subway train in New York City. Neely had reportedly been acting erratically and aggressively, but had not yet physically assaulted anyone. A freelance journalist captured the incident on video and posted it on his Facebook page, sparking a debate about the actions of the man who restrained Neely. Neely had a history of mental health issues and was reportedly homeless. The Manhattan District Attorney's office is investigating the incident, and the cause of Neely's death is pending as authorities await autopsy results.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety of subway passengers and the adequacy of mental health services for vulnerable populations. But even more importantly, the incident has raised questions about how citizens in New York City are forced to take matters into their own hands because violent criminals like Neely are free to roam the city and bully and attack innocent bystanders. Allegedly, Neely had 40 prior arrests and an active warrant for felony assault. It's also being reported that he had previously tried to assault the veteran who put him in a chokehold.

The mainstream media and progressive activists are trying to make Neely seem like an innocent, kind person who was just looking for food and water. The coverage of Neely is mild and intentionally leaves out many of the facts about his behavior, both in the past and on the day he died. CNN's latest headline about the incident reads, "Jordan Neely, the man killed in chokehold on NYC subway, is remembered as an entertainer shattered by his mother’s murder." Activists on Twitter are claiming that he was "lynched" by racist white people. Politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley claim that harmless homeless individuals like him deserve to be cared for, not brutally killed. They are sharing videos of Neely from a long time ago, when he was in fact a Michael Jackson impersonator on the subway.

Each and every one of these publications and individuals is conveniently leaving out the fact that Neely was aggressively threatening people in the subway on that day.

Additionally, Neely's Michael Jackson shtick was long gone, and he traded in dancing on the subway for aggressively attacking people on the subway years ago. Conservative commentator Matt Walsh shared a Reddit thread (just one of many) that described in detail how Neely would terrorize people on the train and make them fear for their life.

This particular post was from nine years ago: "Used to be all cool, dancing to MJ in the subway train, but as of late he's become a maniac. He doesn't dress up anymore. No more dancing...just asks for money. Occasionally shouting obscenities." The Redditor said Neely would stand there and scream, cursing loudly, and people would avoid getting in the same train as him. "Just avoid the guy at all costs, try not to look at him at all. Stay safe," the person wrote, even sharing photos as reference.

Content creator Brittany Venti shared another Reddit thread from Sunday, in which Neely reported tried to push someone onto the subway tracks, which could easily be considered attempted murder. "This man jumped on me grabbed my shoulders, and pushed me towards the tracks Sunday night at this very station. I was able to run away but he got physical and chased other people standing on the platform before getting on an uptown train. This whole thing is so sad," the person wrote.

The media and activists are also being untruthful about what actually took place on Monday. Neely wasn't only restrained by a white man who is an ex-Marine. He was restrained by a few people, one of whom was black. He was clearly a menace to everyone around, and he was threatening to do something violent that would land him back in jail again. But of course, this doesn't fit the narrative of systemic racism and white supremacy. The media will do everything they can to explode this into another George Floyd situation, resulting in riots around the country and civil unrest to perpetuate the false narrative that we live in a country that is unsafe for black individuals.