Several Female TikTokers reported that they were punched in the face while walking on New York City streets this month.
In the wake of the alleged assaults, city council member Amanda Farías called on men to speak out against a potential serial street puncher roaming the city.
In the last two weeks, at least four women posted on TikTok and X that they had been punched in the face while walking around Manhattan. A New York man was charged with assault for one of the attacks.
But in response to Farias' comments, right-wingers are flagging one specific man as a reason the attacks are happening: Daniel Penny.
Penny, a former marine, was indicted in 2023 for the death of Jordan Neely after Penny held Neely in a fatal chokehold for minutes. According to Penny, Neely was threatening subway passengers; an attorney for Neely's family said Neely was unarmed and acting emotionally distressed.
Neely, a homeless Michael Jackson impersonator, had been arrested at least 40 times before Penny took his life. In response, a number of right-wingers compared Neely's rap sheet to that of George Floyd's, trying to paint the killings of both as acceptable responses.
Farías demanded justice for Neely in the wake of his death, and those comments have come back around.
"Where are the men calling this out?" Farías tweeted on Thursday in response to a tweet about the attacks.
Replies to Farías's tweet included hundreds of X users posting photos of Penny, implying he is a man who would speak out against the attacks on women on the streets of Manhattan.
They also accused Farías of getting Penny charged with manslaughter, given her call for justice.
"Because they've seen women like you won't stand by them," wrote one user.
"It's a real mystery," said another.
Robby Starbuck, a right-wing influencer, director, and former congressional candidate, tweeted that men are "afraid to step up because woke politicians will try to destroy their lives," alongside a photo of Penny.
"Why aren’t men standing up against criminals who attack women in NYC?" Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) aide Christina Pushaw replied to Farías, alongside a photo of Penny. "Great question…"
"Stop punishing the men who step up and help," Heritage Foundation research fellow Jason Bedrick replied with a photo of Penny. "And stop releasing dangerous perpetrators awaiting trial."
Daniel Penny will stand trial starting Oct. 8. He pled not guilty in June 2023.
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