Alvin Bragg’s Leadership Critiqued in Daniel Penny Case
Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, faces criticism for bringing the Daniel Penny case to trial, which ended with Penny being found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely. Maud Maron, a challenger for Bragg’s seat, deems this decision a “clear indication of his bad judgment.”
Maron argues that the incident, which occurred when Penny grabbed Neely from behind in a chokehold after the 30-year-old schizophrenic homeless man, who had an active arrest warrant, stormed onto a train, shouting death threats while high on synthetic marijuana, was not a crime. Maron believes that many New Yorkers can relate to the situation, having been in similar situations on the subway with mentally ill or drug-affected individuals.
“It’s very clear from the police who interviewed Daniel Penny and didn’t immediately bring charges, from the eyewitnesses on the subway who said that they felt threatened and they were grateful that he interacted, that the common sense understanding of what happened on the subway that day was not a crime, but a young man who had no criminal record, who has been in service to this country, who was really trying to do the right thing to protect people,” Maron said.
Maron considers the outcome “tragic” and laments that Neely died, with neither Penny nor anyone else wanting it to happen. Therefore, she believes it is up to the voters to remove Bragg from office and replace him with someone who will prioritize safety and produce a different outcome. “It’s up to the voters of Manhattan who know that we need to have a different person in the district attorney’s office if we’re going to have a different result,” Maron said. “We need safety, and we need to get rid of Alvin Bragg.”