“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin claimed Tuesday that mentioning the arrest record of Jordan Neely, who died after being restrained on a New York City subway, was “revictimizing” him.
“We’re revictimizing this victim by talking about the fact that he had been arrested,” Hostin told co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines and Joy Behar. “The reason he had so many mental health issues is because he saw the brutal murder of his mother at the age of 14. When he was recently arrested, rather than put him in jail, they actually – he pled guilty. He was sentenced to live at a bronx treatment facility, take his medication, and stay clean for 15 months.” (RELATED: ‘Our City Is Going Down The Drain’: Protesters Clash With NYPD, Block Subway Over Chokehold Death)
Neely, 30, died after being restrained by 24-year-old Daniel Penny, a Marine Corps veteran, on May 1. Neely reportedly boarded the train and acted aggressively toward passengers before Penny and at least one other individual intervened.
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Neely had been arrested over 40 times and was the subject of a warrant for felony assault at the time of the Monday incident, CBS News reported. His death was ruled a homicide by the New York City medical examiner’s office.
“I’ve been riding the train in New York City since I was 12 years old,” Hostin said. “This is what he was doing. He was shouting that he was hungry, that he was thirsty, and he had little to live for. Hungry, thirsty, and little to live for.
“Where was the humanity of anyone that was on that train?” Hostin added. “I would have given him money. I would have tried to give him food. I would have tried to help. This is someone in need, in desperate need. I’m ashamed that someone that was part of our armed forces decided to become a vigilante and kill him.”
Protesters demanding the arrest of Daniel Penny clashed with police Saturday and Monday, leading to at least 11 arrests. Neely’s family released a statement Monday saying that Penny “needs to be in prison.”
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