Whoopi Goldberg recently expressed her strong disapproval of Daniel Penny, the man acquitted in the manslaughter case involving Jordan Neely’s death, for celebrating his verdict at a bar.
The incident occurred after a jury cleared Penny of manslaughter charges following the highly publicized death of Neely, a homeless man who was killed in a subway altercation in New York City.
Rather than showing remorse or reflecting on the gravity of the situation, Penny was seen celebrating the acquittal at a bar, which enraged many, including Goldberg.
On The View, Goldberg didn’t hold back her feelings, condemning Penny for what she saw as a lack of empathy and understanding for the life lost.
Goldberg criticized Penny’s actions as insensitive and disrespectful, particularly in the wake of a tragic event. She emphasized that while Penny had been found not guilty in the court of law,
the situation was far from a cause for celebration. Neely’s death had stirred controversy, with many questioning the actions taken by Penny on the subway. For Goldberg,
Penny’s celebratory behavior displayed a disconnect from the seriousness of the incident and the ongoing conversations about race, justice, and accountability. She stressed that celebrating a loss of life, regardless of the legal outcome, was tone-deaf and demonstrated a lack of remorse for what had transpired.
The co-host of The View went further, stating that Penny’s actions were a reflection of broader societal issues. She pointed to how often cases involving the deaths of marginalized individuals, particularly Black men like Neely, are handled with indifference or callousness. Goldberg made it clear that her outrage was not only directed at Penny but also at a larger pattern where people often fail to grasp the full impact of such tragedies. For her, the incident served as a reminder of how important it is to approach cases of violence with empathy and understanding, rather than reducing them to mere legal outcomes or personal triumphs.
Goldberg also reflected on the broader implications of the case, particularly how public reactions can shape the way such incidents are viewed in society. The decision to celebrate an acquittal in such a high-profile case had the potential to send a harmful message, one that could normalize the disregard for life and minimize the seriousness of issues related to race and inequality. Goldberg suggested that Penny’s behavior could contribute to a larger narrative that often downplays the significance of these types of incidents, especially when the victim is a person of color. Her remarks were a call to reflect on the way society engages with cases of police violence, racial injustice, and the treatment of the homeless.
In closing, Goldberg’s criticism of Daniel Penny was not just about his personal actions but about the larger societal message it sent. She called for more introspection and understanding when addressing issues of life and death, urging that the focus should be on empathy, accountability, and the acknowledgment of the pain caused by such tragedies. While the legal system may have cleared Penny, Goldberg made it clear that the moral and ethical dimensions of the situation cannot be ignored. She concluded by emphasizing that true justice goes beyond court verdicts and requires a deeper reflection on the humanity of those involved.
