Earlier this month, Jordan Neely, a “a beloved Black homeless street performer” and/or a troubled man with a history of violent assaults, drug use, and mental illness, was choked to death on a NY subway by people who saw him as an immediate threat to his fellow passengers. Almost immediately, the analysis of the situation broke down by political affiliation with those on the left calling it murder and those on the right calling it self-defense. This question is largely unresolvable, and the debate will continue until the next politically divisive issue arises at which point pundits, like a dog sighting a squirrel, will move on. In the interim, there is only one thing that both sides appear to agree on; “the system” failed.
This sentence sums it up for me - “It is past time that we started prioritizing the safety of the majority over the freedom of a minority who are all too often a danger to themselves and others.” Because when the majority no longer feels safe, they will leave. And that means their businesses, their role in their communities, their ability to contribute to the success of their communities go with them, causing further deterioration. So the problem gets exponentially worse. Time to turn it around.
Personally, I think either side may be right and they both get it wrong in the following way. Addiction may be a response to a restrictive environment, but obviously once habits have deteriorated to the extent of causing imminent threat or direct damage, deterrence and retribution are necessary. In other words, we need more freedom before, not after. It’s an example how the binary system keeps us in a chokehold.
This sentence sums it up for me - “It is past time that we started prioritizing the safety of the majority over the freedom of a minority who are all too often a danger to themselves and others.” Because when the majority no longer feels safe, they will leave. And that means their businesses, their role in their communities, their ability to contribute to the success of their communities go with them, causing further deterioration. So the problem gets exponentially worse. Time to turn it around.
Personally, I think either side may be right and they both get it wrong in the following way. Addiction may be a response to a restrictive environment, but obviously once habits have deteriorated to the extent of causing imminent threat or direct damage, deterrence and retribution are necessary. In other words, we need more freedom before, not after. It’s an example how the binary system keeps us in a chokehold.