The Star reports that 'polarization' is Merriam-Webster's word of the year. I agree and offer a case in point.
A Manhattan jury acquitted Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely. As a journalist, how would you report this story?
-Good Samaritan subway rider Penny, a decorated US Marine Corps Sergeant protected fellow passengers by placing a chokehold on Neely when he began threatening them. Neely is a repeat criminal offender with 42 prior arrests, including assaults on women on the subway. He also had a documented history of serious mental illness, worsened by repeated drug use that made him a ticking time bomb.
-Subway passenger Neely, a homeless Black street performer, was behaving erratically when ex-Marine Penny, a white man, delivered a 6-minute-long chokehold, killing Mr. Neely. The case amplified many American fault lines; race, politics, crime, urban life, mental illness, and homelessness. Penny’s previous military training made him a ticking time bomb.
Jeffrey McConnell
West side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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