Subway
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A Black man who was alleged to have berated riders on a New York City subway train was killed due to a chokehold by a white passenger.
As NewsOne reports, Jordan Neely was on a northbound F train on Monday afternoon (May 1st). A witness claimed that Neely was yelling at other passengers on the train. “He started screaming in an aggressive manner,” said witness Juan Alberto Vazquez. “He said he had no food, he had no drink, that he was tired and doesn’t care if he goes to jail. He started screaming all these things, took off his jacket, a black jacket that he had, and threw it on the ground.” At that point, an unidentified white straphanger comes up behind Neely and places him in a chokehold, taking him down to the ground.
After a reported duration of 15 minutes, Neely stopped moving & lost consciousness. Video footage apparently shows someone expressing concern for Neely’s well-being off-camera. The 24-year-old and another man who joined in to hold Neely down let go of him, leaving him lying on his side.
Neely was rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital by police where he would pass away. New York Police Department representatives have revealed that the 24-year-old is a former enlisted Marine, but have not revealed his name. He was arrested at the scene but released ultimately without being criminally charged. They also stated to members of the press that Neely was a recidivist with 44 prior arrests for assault & fare evasion.
The incident has angered many who got wind of the news on social media, noting how the 24-year-old vigilante wouldn’t have gotten to go free if he was Black and the victim was white. Some pointed out the free use of the term “vagrant” by publications to describe Neely. Others, like journalist Soledad O’Brien, noted how outlets like the New York Times used passive language. “Okaaaay young journos: let’s talk about the passive voice from @nytimes this fine morning. The guy “died”? Or was killed?” she wrote.
Police claim that an investigation into the exact circumstances of Neely’s death is ongoing, expressing that they are waiting on the autopsy results. Subway crime has been a heated topic of discussion, with NYPD officials boasting that it has dropped about 6% since the beginning of the year.
America’s Got Talent alum Mike Yung was putting on one of his viral subway performances recently, when he was surprised by none other than Ed Sheeran.
In a clip shared to TikTok, Yung is seen belting the chorus to Sheeran’s recent single “Eyes Closed” on a New York City subway platform, as the 32-year-old superstar approaches him. The duo then give each other a hug, with Yung telling Sheeran, “You’re the man.”
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The duo then begin singing “Eyes Closed” together, with Sheeran smiling from ear to ear the entire time.
“Eyes Closed” serves as the lead single to Sheeran’s upcoming album – (pronounced Subtract), the last installment in Sheeran’s decade-long mathematical album era, which will be arriving on May 5 via Atlantic Records.
“This song is about losing someone, feeling like every time you go out and you expect to just bump into them, and every thing just reminds you of them and things you did together,” the singer wrote of the song on Instagram. “You sorta have to take yourself out of reality sometimes to numb the pain of loss, but certain things just bring you right back into it.”
The four-time Grammy winner went on to mention his friend Jamal Edwards, a music entrepreneur who died in February 2022 of cardiac arrest at age 31. “Blue was Jamal’s colour, but now is all I feel. And I guess music helps heal, so I’m dancing with my eyes closed to try get through it,” Sheeran concluded his message.