Congressman plans to give Daniel Penny Congressional Gold Medal

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An Arizona congressman plans to award the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’s highest civilian honor, to Daniel Penny, a 26-year-old student currently on trial in New York on negligent homicide charges for choking a homeless man on a subway train in 2023. "Daniel Penny’s actions exemplify what it means to stand against the grain to do right in a world that rewards moral cowardice," Rep. Eli Crane, Republican of Arizona, told Fox News. Draft text of the resolution claims Penny "protected women and children of the city of New York, New York, from violence on May 1, 2023” and alleges that “throughout President Biden’s term as President, local governments across various cities and States failed to adequately protect residents and their property from violent criminals.” Penny is facing a criminal trial in New York over the 2023 incident, in which he held street performer Jordan Neely, 30, in a chokehold for nearly six minutes, after the homeless man yelled threateningly at passengers on a Manhattan subway car. New York City public advocate Juamaane Williams previously told The Independent the public attention around the case had created a “narrative that devalues the life of a Black, homeless man with mental health challenges and encourages an attitude of dehumanization of New Yorkers in greatest need.” Both conservatives and Democratic New York City mayor Eric Adams have praised Penny.