Hawk Newsome, the leader of Black Lives Matter Greater New York, has stirred controversy with his call for “Black vigilantes” following the acquittal of U.S. Marine veteran Daniel Penny. A jury found Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with a history of mental health struggles and a lengthy criminal record.

The incident occurred on May 1, 2023, when Neely reportedly began threatening passengers on a crowded subway in New York City. Witnesses testified that Neely yelled violent threats, including, “I’ll kill a motherf—er,” before Penny intervened and restrained him in a chokehold. Neely, who had been arrested 44 times for crimes ranging from assault to alleged kidnapping, died during the altercation.

Newsome, who claimed to be Neely’s uncle despite lacking evidence of a familial connection, made heated remarks following the verdict. Speaking outside the courtroom, he declared, “Everybody else has vigilantes. We need some black vigilantes. People want to jump up and choke us and kill us for being loud, how about we do the same when they attempt to oppress us.”

Newsome’s comments included sharp criticism of America, calling it a nation that uses Black people as a “punching bag.” “How dare you laugh and cheer when someone gets away with murdering us. I don’t want a march. I want a step,” he added.

During the trial, expert testimony cast serious doubt on whether Penny’s actions directly caused Neely’s death. Dr. Satish Chundru testified that Neely’s passing was the result of a combination of factors, including a sickle cell crisis, schizophrenia and synthetic marijuana use. “The chokehold did not cause death,” Chundru stated.