Ousted Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) argued in a letter addressed just to “White People” on Tuesday that “white supremacy” is the reason Daniel Penny was acquitted in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely.
In the bizarre rant, posted on X, the departing “Squad” lawmaker further suggested that he doesn’t understand why he feels the need to “keep talking” to white people.
“Dear White People,” Bowman’s manifesto begins.
“I don’t know why I feel the need to keep talking to you. I don’t know why part of me still has hope for you and for us. Some of you are too far gone. But maybe enough of you aren’t and will join us in fighting to end white supremacy,” the congressman writes.
Bowman, 48, goes on to spotlight several high-profile cases of police violence against black men and women, as well as the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin by Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman — who was also acquitted of wrongdoing.
“White supremacy is not skin color. It’s a state of mind,” the Bronx and Westchester rep argues after referencing the death of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten by five black Memphis Police Department officers.
“Jordan Neely is the latest,” Bowman adds. “He was sick. He was not a threat. He was subdued. Still not a threat. Daniel Penny choked him for 6 minutes. And killed him. We all watched it on camera, and he was still acquitted.”
A community note appended to the tweet thread noted: “As part of a plea agreement, after punching a 67-year-old woman in 2021, Jordan Neely was given free access to stable housing and healthcare at a treatment facility. Neely abandoned the facility after 13 days.”
X users also added: “Penny’s actions were in response to Neely threatening passengers.”
New York’s 16th District pol then asserts that white social media users have “never” seen “a white man killed in cold blood on camera on your newsfeed.”
“How many times have you even heard about this? The answer is never. You never have,” Bowman declares.
“And whenever you feel discomfort from your whiteness, Black people are harmed or killed,” he charges. “And there is never accountability or justice. This is the evil of white supremacy. It spans across geography and political parties and sickens us all.”
“RIP Jordan Neely. The justice system failed you. Kyle Ritenhouse [sic] and Daniel Penny are free. You’re gone. We must still fight,” Bowman’s missive ends.
Penny, a 26-year-old Marine veteran, was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide by a Manhattan jury on Monday.
Prosecutors argued that Penny was “criminally reckless” when he held Neely, who witnesses said was scaring passengers, in an approximately six-minute-long chokehold.
Defense attorneys raised doubts about whether Neely died from the chokehold, citing his schizophrenia, drug use and a genetic health condition.
Bowman was defeated by Westchester County Executive George Latimer in New York’s 16th District Democratic primary earlier this year.
The former Bronx middle school principal faced criticism for opposing Israel’s war against Hamas and for infamously yanking a fire alarm in a Capitol office building in September 2023.
Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, agreed to a $1,000 fine and was later censured by the House over the fire alarm pull.
He claimed at the time that he “thought the alarm would open the door” and pulled it by “accident,” saying he “was just trying to get to my vote” for a critical government funding package.
Latimer went on to easily beat Republican Miriam Flisser in the general election and will replace Bowman in the House of Representatives next month.
