A year after Jordan Neely's death, a push to make attacking NY's homeless a hate crime

WNYC News

One year after homeless New Yorker Jordan Neely was choked to death on the New York City subway by a fellow rider, homeless advocates are pushing to reinvigorate a long-dormant bill that could make targeting homeless people a hate crime. The Homeless Protection Act would make homeless individuals a protected class in New York, awarding them the same status as different racial, ethnic and religious groups. The legislation would also require that crimes against homeless people be included in the state’s annual hate crime report. “Homeless people are, a lot of times, just walking targets,” said Cynthia English, 60, who spent 10 years bouncing between the streets and homeless shelters and was the victim of several violent attacks The measure, she said, would “humanize homeless people, give us more equal protection under the law, and show that the things that are done to us that are unlawful and jeopardize our lives will no longer be ignored.” Though the bill has languished in the state Legislature for more than a decade, the aftermath of Neely’s death and the upcoming trial of the Marine Corps veteran charged with killing him are bringing new urgency to the proposal. It also comes as Mayor Eric Adams has put renewed emphasis on subway safety by adding more police to stations and expanding homeless outreach efforts to get people into shelters. Read the full story on Gothamist.com