Social Media Has Polarized Reaction To Daniel Penny Verdict

The reactions to the acquittal tended to differ depending on the social media platform.

A Manhattan jury’s decision to acquit Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely on Monday caused quite a reaction on social media.

That’s not surprising, considering the case became, as The Associated Press put it, “a flashpoint in the nation’s debate over racial injustice and crime.”

Penny, who is white, physically restrained Neely, a Black man, on a subway train in May 2023, leading to Neely’s death. Medical examiners ruled the death a homicide.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R) took to X, formerly Twitter, to declare the acquittal “clearly the just and correct verdict,” while adding that he “was skeptical that a jury in New York City would reach a unanimous not guilty verdict.”

However, others, such as broadcaster Medhi Hasan, pointed out how the race of the two men might play a factor how people are reacting.