By now, you've probably heard about Jordan Neely, the unhoused man who was put in a chokehold and killed by a fellow passenger on a New York City subway. Neely's only crime? Yelling about being "fed up and hungry." It's been days since Neely's brutal killing, and charges still haven't been filed.
Neely's death comes at a time of aggressive policing of unhoused people in the city, at the direction of NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Advocates for unhoused people in the city point to the uptick in dehumanizing policies and treatment contributing to the city's "deputized" citizens.
Sign the petition to demand Mayor Eric Adams work with advocates for people experiencing homelessness and mental illness to restructure current policies!
After Neely's death, Adams released a weak statement that failed to condemn the murder. New York City Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Adams' response a "new low" saying the statement "is especially rich from an admin trying to cut the very services that could have helped him," like his policy to remove unhoused people by force from the subway, or his cuts to Department of Homeless Services funding.
In fact, people experiencing homelessness or mental illness are at a greater risk of being harmed than of harming others. It's time Eric Adams rethinks his approaches to policies and rhetoric that affect people experiencing homelessness and mental illness.
Sign the petition to demand Mayor Eric Adams work with advocates for people experiencing homelessness and mental illness to restructure current policies!
