A New York City Council representative, who had previously advocated for justice in a case that involved the untimely death of a homeless man, is now under scrutiny for her response—or the lack of it—to recent violent attacks on women in the city.
“Where are the men calling this out?” questioned Amanda Farías, the Democratic council member representing the 18th District, on the social media platform X. Farías asked questions following a statement by the New York City Women’s Caucus who expressed alarm over too many reports of assaults on women also confirmed by the NYPD.
Recently, several women have taken to Social media platforms like TikTok to share their experiences of being physically assaulted by strangers while walking in New York City.
However, Farías’ call for action sparked a wave of criticism. Many suggested that individuals hesitated because they were scared of being attacked by government authorities.
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“Afraid to step up because woke politicians will try to destroy their lives?” questioned Robby Starbuck, who is a conservative political commentator, accompanied by an image of Daniel Penny, charged with manslaughter in the death of Jordan Neely.
Many others gave the same reasons, with Ryan Girdusky, who founded the 1776 Project PAC. He highlighted the risks involved in advocating for justice.
These discussions also brought up a statement Farías made about the death of Neely when she described it as “heartbreaking and outrageous.” Farías had advocated for justice for Neely, showing the failures within the justice system.
Daniel Penny, the person charged in Neely’s death, claimed self-defense. He alleged that Neely had been threatening passengers on a subway. However, witness reports have clouded the circumstances leading to Neely’s death since there are opposing views.
One witness to the incident called Penny a “hero, ” saying she feared what Neely might do.
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“I’m looking at where we are in the tube, in the sardine can, and I’m like, ‘OK, we’re in between stations. There’s nowhere we can go,'” she told Fox News Digital days after the incident. “The people on that train, we were scared. We were scared for our lives.”
Another witness, who recorded the widely-circulated video of the incident, told the New York Post he did not think Neely was in danger as Penny and the other man held him down.
Despite Penny’s initial release, he later turned himself in when charged with manslaughter by District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
The incident involving Penny and Neely has increased ongoing concerns about safety in New York City. This made Governor Kathy Hochul increase security in the state, including the deployment of the National Guard and state troopers for random bag checks.
Penny’s trial is set to begin on October 8 and is expected to last four to six weeks.
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Farías, however, has remained silent amidst the recent wave of violence against women, prompting questions about her consistency in advocating for justice, and has not responded to anyone about her quietness
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