Black Lives Matter Greater New York leader Hawk Newsome has garnered media attention for his vehement comments outside of the Daniel Penny trial. Newsome claimed that the Klan had won another battle after Penny’s top manslaughter charge was dropped, and he implied that everyone who thought Penny was innocent was harboring bigotry.
Newsome went one step farther and conjectured that there might be a white nationalist holdout on the jury. He attacked the defense’s jury selection process, saying, “It makes sense that you believe race plays a particular role in this case if you choose a white supremacist jury specialist and fill the jury with white people.”
The rhetoric used in the days preceding the George Floyd riots, which resulted in burning cities, fatalities, shootings, lootings, and months of public turmoil, is very comparable to the incendiary rhetoric used today.
The focus of the trial is Daniel Penny, a former Marine who is accused of manslaughter for choking homeless mentally ill man Jordan Neely to death on a Manhattan subway. The jury’s deliberations on the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide proceeded after the manslaughter charge was dismissed due to two deadlocks.
Some have accused Newsome of trying to intimidate jurors as a result of his remarks, which have sparked controversy. Radical BLM activist Hawk Newsome is organizing the demonstrations outside the courthouse, attempting to rally support, one social media user wrote.
With Newsome claiming that racism has its tent, this case has emerged as a central topic for conversations about racial relations and justice.
Tensions are still high as the trial goes on, and the public is keeping a careful eye on the jury’s decisions regarding the final charge.
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