A funeral service was held on Friday for Jordan Neely who was choked to death in a New York City subway car earlier this month.
Hundreds of people gathered in a Harlem church to lay Neely to rest.
Reverend Al Sharpton was also among the attendees at the funeral service who delivered a powerful eulogy for Neely.
“Jordan was not annoying someone on the train. Jordan was screaming for help. We keep criminalizing people with mental illness,” he said. “What happened to Jordan was a crime.”
Neely, who struggled with mental illness, was killed in a chokehold when Daniel Penny, a subway rider, pinned him to the floor of a subway car.
Neely’s last moments were recorded on video which later sparked protests and debate about homelessness, mental health and racism.
Penny, a former Marine veteran, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter but was released on a $100,000 bail.
Penny pleaded not guilty. He will be back in court on July 17.
Source: Anadolu Agency