NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Country rapper Kid Rock has made a $5,000 donation to the legal defense fund of ex-Marine Daniel Penny, who is facing manslaughter charges after fatally placing Jordan Neely in a chokehold on a New York City subway. In a note accompanying his donation on the Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo, the 52-year-old musician also took a swipe at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Kid Rock, aka Robert James Ritchie, left a message that read, "Mr. Penny is a hero. Alvin Bragg is a POS. Kid Rock" The online fundraising campaign, organized by Penny's attorneys, has experienced a significant surge in donations, with nearly 50,000 contributions totaling over $2.2 million as of Monday, May 15.
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Kid Rock supports Daniel Penny
The disturbing incident occurred on May 1 when Penny restrained Neely in a chokehold on a train at a New York City subway station, resulting in Neely's death. After a video of the incident surfaced, showing Penny holding Neely in the chokehold for approximately three minutes, protests erupted throughout NYC, demanding legal action against Penny. Subsequently, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announced that his office would prosecute Penny for manslaughter without convening a grand jury. Kid Rock's support for Penny follows Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sharing a link to the fundraising website in a tweet, which also criticized Bragg.
"We must defeat the Soros-Funded DAs, stop the Left's pro-criminal agenda, and take back the streets for law abiding citizens," DeSantis wrote on Friday. "We stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny. Let's show this Marine… America's got his back." Kid Rock is known for his advocacy of various conservative causes and has expressed libertarian values throughout his career. In March, he made headlines by recording himself shooting cans of Bud Light beer with a rifle in protest after transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney partnered with the company.
The pro-Trump singer, donning a MAGA hat in the video, posted the footage online and expressed his disdain for Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch, stating, "F*** Bud Light, and f*** Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day." He said he wanted to send a "clear and concise" message after discovering Mulvaney was working with the beer company. Aside from Kid Rock, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy contributed $10,000 on Sunday.
'The moral of the Jordan Neely story isn't complicated!'
Ramaswamy argued that it should not be the responsibility of citizens to ensure public safety and pointed out a series of alleged crimes for which Neely had been arrested in the past eight years. However, Ramaswamy mistakenly stated that Neely had been arrested 44 times, whereas it is now reported to be 42 times. He wrote, "The moral of the Jordan Neely story isn't complicated: he was a habitual offender who should've been behind bars or in a mental institution, not free to terrorize New Yorkers. If local police had been allowed to do their jobs, that man would still be alive today - in custody."
"He was arrested in 2015 for attempting to kidnap a seven-year-old girl after he was 'seen dragging [her] down an Inwood street,'" the New York Daily News reported, as per Daily Mail. It continues, "In 2019, Jordan Neely punched a 64 year old man in the face. In 2021, Jordan Neely slugged a 67 year old woman in the face as she exited the subway, breaking her nose and fracturing her orbital bone. Neely was arrested 44 times, but never faced real justice for terrorizing New Yorkers. The @ManhattanDA shares responsibility for his death for creating an anti law enforcement culture. Habitual felons like Neely should not roam freely to terrorize & prey on innocent members of our communities."