The family of Jordan Neely has thanked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after a grand jury brought charges against Daniel Penny for the fatal subway choking.
The exact charges are unclear and an indictment is expected to be unsealed at a later court date. Mr Penny was initially charged with second-degree manslaughter on 12 May. He did not enter a plea. He was released after posting $100,000 bail, and his next appearance is scheduled for 17 July.
Neely’s family specifically mentioned Ms Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, in a statement released after news of the grand jury’s charging emerged on Wednesday.
“The fight is not over but it took a lot of work to get to this place. The Neely family sends its sincerest thanks especially to our courageous elected officials like AOC and others, every peaceful protester and all who still believe wrong actions should have consequences,” the family said through their lawyers.
“We will continue to fight on behalf of Jordan as this process moves forward.”
Ms Ocasio-Cortez advocated for Neely and his family after his death and attended his funeral in Harlem on 19 May.
“Jordan Neely was killed by public policy. He was killed by the demonizing of the poor by many of our leaders,” she told The Cut in an interview.
“He was killed by the same reluctance for people to see him as human that leaders are exhibiting right now, even in his death.”
She also slammed the cost of living in New York and the lack of support the city provided for the homeless and mentally ill.
“Every single one of us is at the brink right now. Rents have skyrocketed to these absolutely extortionate prices. When housing prices go up, homelessness goes up. It’s not a grand mystery,” she said.
And she lashed out at Mayor Eric Adams and other leaders for how they talk about homelessness in the city.
“There’s a hypocrisy to the way many officials talk about public safety. All these responses are acting as though Neely was the aggressor here, when he was the one who was murdered,” she said.
“There’s all this talk about making our public spaces safer, and a person literally killed another human being on the subway.”
