NYC Subway: Leftist Governance’s Consequences

Washington Free Beacon EditorsMay 8, 2023

A Culture of Lawlessness Begets Vigilante Justice

The Left’s Response to Jordan Neely’s Death

Last week, the Left attempted to turn Jordan Neely, a mentally ill homeless man, into the next George Floyd. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to declare that “Jordan Neely was murdered,” while New York City councilwoman Tiffany Cabán called for compassion and trauma-informed care for the homeless. However, as Nicole Gelinas of the Manhattan Institute points out, these progressives have had little to say about the 27 other subway deaths in New York City over the past three years.

The Left’s Approach to Mental Illness and Criminal Justice

Neely’s death is a direct result of the Left’s approach to mental illness and criminal justice. The Left’s embrace of deinstitutionalization and opposition to compulsory treatment for mental illness have led to a permanent mentally ill homeless population. Furthermore, since George Floyd’s death in May 2020, progressives in state legislatures, working with left-wing district attorneys like Manhattan’s Alvin Bragg, have done away with cash bail for all but the most violent crimes and made a litany of offenses ineligible for prison sentences.

The Need for Order in Our Cities

In a functioning city with a functioning subway system, Neely would not have been on that train striking fear into his fellow citizens. Until the Left restores order to our cities, citizens like Daniel Penny, the Marine who intervened to stop Neely, will feel compelled to step into the breach. The thin blue line once stood between civilization and anarchy. Now it’s men like Penny.

The Perpetrators

Neely and Penny are both victims here. The perpetrators are ensconced on the New York City Council, in Albany’s State Legislature, and in the offices of George Soros’s Open Society Foundations.