Adams pushes for more aggressive mental illness intervention 9 days after Neely killing

Adams, pictured in a stock photo, addressed Neely's killing on Wednesday.

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday lamented the death of Jordan Neely, using his strongest language to date about a killing that has roiled the city and raised questions about public safety, race, criminal justice and New York's response to homelessness and mental illness.

“One of our own is dead,” Adams said at the beginning of a somber 15-minute address from City Hall.

“A black man,” he added. “Black, like me.”

The mayor said that Neely, 30, was said to have had numerous interactions with social workers and was considered mentally ill. Footage captured by a fellow passenger showed Neely being held in a chokehold for several minutes by Daniel Penny. The city medical examiner has ruled Neely’s death a homicide, and an investigation by the police and prosecutors is underway. No arrests have been made.

In the immediate wake of Neely’s death, Adams declined to condemn the killing, saying he wanted to reserve judgment until a full investigation was completed. Some Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, described the incident as a murder and criticized the mayor for his hesitation.

Adams shot back by calling Ocasio-Cortez and others irresponsible for their remarks.

In a speech that came nine days after Neely’s death, Adams spoke directly about the circumstances for the first time.

“One thing we can say for sure, Jordan Neely did not deserve to die,” he said.

The mayor also used the moment to revive his policy for more aggressive intervention toward New Yorkers with mental illnesses in the subway and other public spaces. Last year, Adams issued a directive allowing city officials, including police, to forcibly bring those presumed to have mentally illness to hospitals for evaluation.

But the plan was strongly opposed by some homeless and mental health advocates as well as the New York Civil Liberties Union. Up until Neely’s death, Adams had spoken less frequently about involuntary removals, and there has not been any indication that the city is removing homeless New Yorkers against their will in larger numbers than prior to the announcement.

On Wednesday, Adams said that there is “an immediate need to address those who are clearly in need of treatment.”

He said he was introducing state legislation to clarify the cases when people can be involuntarily taken to a hospital and to strengthen Kendra’s Law, which allows courts to mandate outpatient treatment for adults suffering from mental illness.

Adams said he would make a “major push” to get the bill passed in the remaining weeks of the legislative session in Albany.

At the same time, the mayor refrained from suggesting that mental illness was the cause of Neely’s death, something that advocates had accused him of when he spoke about the incident last week.

“He was suffering from severe mental illness,” the mayor said. “But that was not the cause of his death. His death is a tragedy that never should have happened.”

Some advocates responded critically to Adams’ speech. Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement that the mayor was “again responding to homelessness and unmet mental health need with the failed approaches of force and coercion.”

Norman Siegel, who spearheads an homeless outreach program that Adams cited during his speech, similarly expressed frustration with the mayor’s approach to homelessness and mental illness.“

The mayor was perpetuating the myth that homeless people are resistant to assistance and services,” Siegel said. “But that’s not true.”

This story has been updated with additional comment from the New York Civil Liberties Union.