There were tense moments and multiple arrests at a New York City rally for Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran charged in the deadly subway chokehold death.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman held the rally Wednesday in lower Manhattan — across the street from the courthouse but also only blocks from where Jordan Neely died — and was backed by a group of veterans as they made the case that the chokehold was justified.
"Daniel Penny is a Marine, a hero and a good Samaritan," said Blakeman to the crowd. "The prosecution of Daniel Penny is an outrage."
But even before Blakeman showed up, counter protesters and advocates for the homeless had already gathered at Collect Pond Park to make their voices heard. Tensions flared during the rally, and police officers jumped barricades at the park to make arrests.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
The NYPD said three people were taken into custody. Details regarding what charges they face was not immediately clear.
Those who have demanded justice for Neely said they were offended by the field trip by the delegation from Long Island.
"For somebody who has no authority, to come up from Long Island to bring divisiveness, is ridiculous," said Sunni Mun, who lives near the park and said the Blakeman-organized event only served to rile people up — just as the emotions triggered by the May 1 death of Neely on an F train had started to settle down.
But Blakeman did not address that when asked about the protesters, only saying "what you’re hearing here is love and patriotism. What you’re hearing there is hate speech."
Daniel Penny, who faces a second-degree manslaughter charge in Neely's death, broke his silence in an extended interview earlier this week where he rejected any claims the killing of the 30-year-old homeless Black man was motivated by race.
Speaking exclusively to The New York Post, Penny did not go into detail about what exactly happened on the train to prompt him to force Neely into a chokehold, but he did say if presented with the same situation he would do it again.
Jarring video shows Neely forced into a chokehold for around 15 minutes by Penny. Witnesses had reported Neely, a homeless man with a lengthy criminal record and a history of mental illness, was aggressive toward other riders. He had been shouting at passengers, witnesses said, yelling that he was hungry and didn't care if he died.
The popular Michael Jackson street performer was homeless and on a list of the 50 most at-risk people living on New York City streets.
In the interview published last weekend, Penny says if he had the opportunity to speak with Neely's family he would say, "I'm deeply saddened by the loss of life. It's tragic what happened to him. Hopefully, we can change the system that's so desperately failed us."
The morning of May 1, Penny said was riding the train on his way to a Manhattan gym after class; he now attends school virtually. He refused to elaborate on the details that preceded the chokehold, but 'indicated it wasn’t like 'anything I’d experienced before.'”
“This had nothing to do with race,” he told the outlet.
“I mean, it’s, it’s a little bit comical. Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures. You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.”
The 24-year-old man was arrested May 12 on a single charge of second-degree manslaughter and was released on $100,000 bond. He was ordered to surrender any passports and must ask the court's permission if he wants to leave the state. Penny is due back in court July 17.
Penny's lawyers say he acted in self-defense and acted to protect fellow subway riders from a supposed perceived threat. They say he could "not have foreseen" Neely would die in the chokehold, and have called his death "the unfortunate result" of good Samaritan intervention. They also say he'll be absolved of the charge.
The Post also spoke to Neely's uncle, whom said he believes Penny would act again if not held accountable by the law.
“He needs to be prosecuted or he will do it again,” Christopher Neely told The Post on Sunday. “It’s a smack in the face for Jordan’s family and the people of New York.”
“He thinks what he did was a good deed — that is monstrous,” Christopher said. “How can you say ‘everything I did was right’ when he killed an unarmed man that weighed 100 pounds, if that?”
Donte Mills, another lawyer for Neely’s family, has disputed Penny’s version of events, saying the veteran “acted with indifference. He didn’t care about Jordan, he cared about himself. And we can’t let that stand.”
“Mr. Neely did not attack anyone.” Mills said following Penny's arrest. “He did not touch anyone. He did not hit anyone. But he was choked to death.
“No one on that train asked Jordan: ‘What’s wrong, how can I help you?’” Mills continued, urging New Yorkers in a similar situation: “Don’t attack. Don’t choke. Don’t kill. Don’t take someone’s life. Don’t take someone’s loved one from them because they’re in a bad place.”
The Neely family wants the case to go to trial and wants the two men who assisted Penny charged as well.
