FRIDAY: REV. AL SHARPTON TO DELIVER EULOGY FOR JORDAN NEELY IN HARLEM AS NYC CONTINUES TO GRAPPLE WITH HIS KILLING ON SUBWAY

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May 17, 2023

Will Condemn Vigilantism after Passenger Put Him in Chokehold During Mental Health Episode, Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green to Preside Over Funeral and Affirm Call for Justice

New York, NY (Wednesday, May 17, 2023) – Rev. Al Sharpton, President and Founder of the National Action Network (NAN), will deliver the eulogy for Jordan Neely, at the request of his family, this Friday at the Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem. Neely will be laid to rest amid growing calls for justice after the 30-year-old homeless man was strangled to death by a passenger. Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green, Senior Pastor for Mount Neboh Baptist Church who presided over the 2007 funeral for Neely’s mother, will lead the ceremony.

A viewing will be held from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Friday, which will be closed to press. Any media that attempts to enter the sanctuary before the end of the viewing will not be allowed in.

Neely, who was once a subway and Times Square fixture as a Michael Jackson impersonator, was reportedly experiencing a mental health episode on an F train when the passenger restrained him. Cellphone footage shows the passenger and two other individuals restraining Neely until he passed out. First responders were unable to revive him, and he later died at Lenox Hill Hospital.

His death has led to a renewed focus on mental health and homelessness issues, as well as swift condemnation of vigilantism. It also echoes the 2014 chokehold killing of Eric Garner as well as the 1984 Bernhard Goetz subway shooting, during which four Black men were wounded by the gunman. Rev. Sharpton has condemned this killing, as he did those incidents, and has warned this should not be an endorsement for citizens to take matters into their own hands.

Press arrival:

Press may begin to enter Mount Neboh Baptist Church beginning at 10:30 a.m. Media will be staged in the balcony of the sanctuary, with a clear view of the alter. Please go in through the main entrance (1883 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard). A member of the NAN media team will direct you to the staircase on the right-hand side that leads up to the balcony. Once up there, you will be able to set up and a member of our team can assist you if needed.

If you plan to cover the event, please register here: https://forms.gle/atoxUo4qjLnwB5Mf9

WHO

Rev. Al Sharpton, President and Founder of NAN
Rev. Dr. Johnnie Melvin Green, Jr., D. Min, Senior Pastor, Mount Neboh Baptist Church

The Family of Jordan Neely

WHEN

Friday, May 19th, 2023

Media check-in: 10:30 a.m.

Funeral start: 11 a.m.

WHERE

Mount Neboh Baptist Church

1883 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard

New York, NY 10026

Livestream: https://youtube.com/@mountnebohbaptistchurchhar8150

About National Action Network (NAN)

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender.

For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net.

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