A video of a subway rider choking and killing a homeless man on a New York City train lasted for four minutes. What happened may seem clear to a layperson viewing the footage. The homeless man, Jordan Neely, is seen writhing, trying to get free from the arms and legs of the other subway riders who are pinning him down. As the minutes tick by early Monday afternoon on a northbound F train in Manhattan, Mr. Neely visibly weakens as the arm wrapped around his neck stays tight. After he stops moving, the riders hold him down for about 50 more seconds. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. But Mr. Neely's attacker has not been arrested or charged with a crime, raising questions about how such cases are processed by New York's legal system and angering many left-leaning politicians and activists who have called the process racist. They have asked why the subway rider, who appeared to be white, was not kept in custody, and argued that were he Black, he would have been.
"That's not a sensible precept upon which to formulate criminal justice policy, but you're right."
I don't think it's something to be disregarded. It plays a role in how punishments for all crimes are determined. That's kind of the whole point.