Westchester Congressman Jamaal Bowman has been largely silent for the past few months after losing his Congressional seat to George Latimer in a Democratic Primary n June.
But Rep. Bowman, with less than a month left in office, took to Twitter after a jury exonerated Daniel Penny in the choking death of Jordan Neely on Dec. 9.
Titled :”A Message to all White People” Bowman in a series of Tweets writes, Dear White People,
I don’t know why I feel the need to keep talking to you. I don’t know why part of me still has hope for you and for us. Some of you are too far gone. But maybe enough of you aren’t and will join us in fighting to end white supremacy.
“I just wanna call out the hypocrisy and evil of it all and just continue to hope. I won’t rely completely on you because I know what’s most important is to work with my community and other like minded allies in the fight for justice. But I guess I’ll just offer this:
“I am 48 years old and I have seen countless incidents of brutal police violence and killings in my lifetime. The first Black man I saw violently attacked on camera was Rodney King. Those officers were acquitted.
“Next was Eric Garner’s murder and his cries of “I can’t breathe.” All he was doing was trying to sell a few cigarettes to survive an economy that failed him, and he was jumped and killed by police.
“The next video burned into my memory is the murder of Philando Castile, shot and bled to death by police on live stream, with his child in the backseat and his girlfriend next to him. How will that child heal from the trauma that will live in his body for the rest of his life?
“I didn’t see videos of Trayvon Martin or Breonna Taylor, but their murders and the trauma from their murders lives in my bones. I felt it then and I feel it now. And it is compounded with every new video I see.
“The world saw George Floyd murdered. His murderer knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. I cried. And couldn’t stop crying. I saw five Black Memphis police officers beating a Black man to death on camera. White supremacy is not skin color. It’s a state of mind.
“Jordan Neely is the latest. He was sick. He was not a threat. He was subdued. Still not a threat. Daniel Penny choked him for 6 minutes. And killed him. We all watched it on camera, and he was still acquitted.
“I’ve left out probably another hundred instances of this trauma in my life. For comparison, I ask white people, how many times have you seen a white man killed in cold blood on camera on your newsfeed? How many times have you even heard about this?
“The answer is never. You never have. And whenever you feel discomfort from your whiteness, Black people are harmed or killed. And there is never accountability or justice. This is the evil of white supremacy. It spans across geography and political parties and sickens us all.
“I wish I didn’t have to live with all of this trauma deep in my bones. I wish I could just be free to be me. I marvel at the beauty and greatness of my people in spite of white supremacy. It’s extraordinary. That is what I will continue to lean on.
“RIP Jordan Neely. The justice system failed you. Kyle Ritenhouse and Daniel Penny are free. You’re gone. We must still fight,” writes Bowman.
Editor’s Notes: In the case of Rodney King, 2 of 4 officers were convicted. Officer Powell was acquitted for excess force & false report, but hung jury for assault. CA dropped charge when federal case filed. Convicted on federal charges, went to prison. Officer Koon was acquitted on CA charges; convicted on fed charges, went to prison.
Jordan Neely was arrested 43 times in New York City, mostly on the subway.As part of a plea agreement after punching a 67-year old woman, Neely was given free access to housing and healthcare. Neely abandoned the center after two weeks.
The NY Working Families Party stated after Penny’s acquittal, “In response to breaking news that Daniel Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide NYWFP Co-Directors, Jasmine Gripper and Ana María Archila released the following statement: “Eric Adams and his administration failed to call Neely’s death what it was: a modern-day lynching. Today’s news that Daniel Penny was found not guilty of murdering Jordan Neely underscores that our criminal justice system is still beyond broken. This ruling fails to recognize that Jordan Neely’s life mattered. New Yorkers deserve leaders who will protect and support people experiencing mental illness and invest in resources that create stability and safety for all.”
