Source: Shahar Azran / Getty
On May 4, comedian and activist Amanda Seales took to Instagram to sound off about the horrific subway killing of Jordan Neely, the well-known Michael Jackson impersonator, who died this week after being placed in a chokehold by a white Marine following a mental health crisis.
In a lengthy Instagram Live video, the podcast host condemned the witnesses who sat by and watched Neely as he was strangled to death.
“I am this worked up because I’m watching people watch someone be murdered by another unarmed person,” the 41-year-old actress and comedian shouted angrily. “And nobody stopped it? You know why? Because they think somebody else is going to stop it.”
Frustrated by the senseless murder, The Small Doses author urged her Instagram followers to take action in the fight for Black mental health victims like Neely. Instead of praying to God, she called on her fans to stand up and protect those in danger of dying due to mental health discrimination.
“I’m trying to figure out why people think this is all regular or this is okay,” Seales continued before referencing a comment made during her fiery live-stream.
“Someone here says we have to be the light in the darkness. Baby, we gotta be the light and the lightning, okay? We can’t just light the path. We got to smoke motherfuckas out. Because it’s not enough, and if I’m being honest– we’re not doing enough,” the California native said.
“There is no frickin’ way in hell that I would have just sat there on that train and watched that fucking happen. Y’all are out of your fuckin minds. And anybody who is trying to justify that. Anybody who saw this story and said, ‘I would have just been trying to get home,’ You, too, have mental health issues,” Seales added.
In the comments section, fans applauded the celeb for calling out bystanders who failed to render aid to Neely.
“Facts!!!! Nobody did anything to stop it, and that’s the problem,” one Instagram user wrote.
Another person responded to the video, “That’s what hurts me the most. How? HOW do you NOT stop a situation like this and watch?! Like wtf! Makes me scream; I just can’t stand it. I’m pregnant, and I would’ve taken a hard shove etc. before I let that poor man get choked out to death.”
A third user chimed in, “I agree with you, Amanda 1000. He didn’t deserve to be murdered.”
What happened to Jordan Neely?
On May 1, a white passenger placed Neely in a fatal chokehold after he began yelling at riders on a New York subway train that he was hungry, thirsty and tired of having nothing, NewsOne reported. A viral video of the harrowing incident took the internet by storm Monday.
According to the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Neely died due to “compression of neck (chokehold.)” His death was ruled as a homicide, “but that determination is not a ruling on intent or culpability,” a spokesperson clarified.
“This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan Neely’s life,” Manhattan District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Doug Cohen said in a statement. “As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiner’s report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records.”
A bystander told the outlet that when Neely entered the train, he began “acting erratically” but did not attack anyone before the chokehold.
According to the witness, Neely shouted and said he was ready to go to jail and get a life sentence as he threw off his coat to the ground. Passengers began to move to other parts of the train right before the white suspect approached the homeless New Yorker from behind and put him in a chokehold. In the viral video, two other people held down the dancer as the suspect choked him.
The source added that Neely did not argue with the suspect prior to the attack.
Moses Harper, a friend close to the late 30-year-old, said the street performer’s life changed drastically after the 2007 murder of his mother.
“He told me about how much his mother’s passing impacted him. He disclosed that she was murdered, and her body was put in a suitcase,” Harper shared. “It traumatized him. He was not expecting that, the brutal way she was taken. That had a big impact on him. The brutality behind that.”
Prior to his mother’s death, the passionate performer made his living impersonating Michael Jackson in Times Square and on the NYC Subway. Neely’s financial circumstances changed drastically as he was mourning the loss of his mother.
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