A Black Lives Matter leader who was in court daily during the Metro trial of Daniel Penny called on “black vigilantes” to act after the Marine veteran was found not guilty on Monday.
Walter “Hawk” Newsome, who says he is Jordan Neely’s uncle, threatened Penny in the courtroom during the chaos that immediately followed the verdict.
He shouted, “It’s a small damn world, buddy.”
Then, speaking to the media and later to protesters outside the courthouse, Newsome said it was time for “black vigilantes.”
“Everyone has vigilantes. We need black vigilantes,” he said.
“People want to jump up and strangle us and kill us because we’re loud. What if we do the same when they try to oppress us.”
The comments came as protesters across the street turned their sights on police, chanting “f**k the police” and questioning why they weren’t patrolling the train to defend Neely.
Walter “Hawk” Newsome, who says he is Jordan Neely’s uncle, threatened Penny in court during the chaos that immediately followed the verdict
Speaking to the media and later protesters outside the courthouse, Newsome said it was time for “black vigilantes.”
Penny was found not guilty of negligent homicide on Monday after the state dismissed the top manslaughter charge
The homeless, mentally ill black man had threatened to kill people and told commuters he was ready to “go back to Rikers” when Penny, then just 24, intervened and knocked him to the ground.
He put Neely in a chokehold, alternating between applying pressure and not, in an attempt to keep the commuters safe until police arrived.
Protesters have stood outside the courtroom every day of the massive trial. It took two weeks to even select a jury, followed by four weeks of evidence and then six days of deliberations.
Those protesters called Penny the “subway strangler” and warned that there would be “no peace without justice,” which Penny’s attorney said was a direct threat to the jurors.
Outside the courthouse Monday, after calling out black vigilantes, Newsome told those same protesters that he “loves them.”
He named a number of those who were there “every day, in the freezing cold” shouting insults at Penny.
Newsome told the crowd that black people could no longer rely on authorities to keep them safe or value their lives.
The courtroom erupted after the not guilty verdict, as Penny was led out of the courtroom
Neely was a Michael Jackson impersonator who was well known and recognized in Times Square (pictured in 2009)
Penny held Neely on the subway floor while others assisted on May 1, 2023
“We patrol our community,” he said. ‘We keep ourselves safe.’
“America will never solve the problem of black people because America needs a punching bag. They have designated us as a punching bag.
“So fuck America. How dare you laugh and cheer when someone gets away with killing us. I don’t want a march. I want a step.
‘Racists: Burn in Hell.’