In the heart of New York City, on the cold winter day of December 22, 1984, Bernhard Goetz, a 37-year-old electronics technician, found himself cornered by a group of potential robbers in a subway car.
He chose to fight back. Fast forward four decades, and another New Yorker, Daniel Penny, a 26-year-old Marine veteran and architecture student, found himself in a similar predicament. He too, chose to fight back, leading to a homicide charge that he later beat on the grounds of self-defense.
According to Fox News, both cases, separated by decades, were highly politicized and scrutinized due to the racial backgrounds of the individuals involved. Goetz and Penny are both white, while the individuals they defended themselves against were black.
This racial dynamic led to years of legal debate, with scholars questioning whether Goetz would have reacted similarly had the teens been white. Penny's defense team accused prosecutors of unjustly introducing racial undertones into a trial that did not involve hate crime charges.
These cases also underscored a growing public sentiment that crime in New York City was spiraling out of control. Goetz, a previous victim of multiple muggings, was carrying a handgun for protection. Penny, reacting to a series of subway incidents involving mentally ill homeless individuals attacking passengers, subdued Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old man, in a chokehold. Penny later told police, "These guys are pushing people in front of trains and stuff."
Despite a significant drop in violent crime in New York City during the late 1990s and 2000s, robberies have seen a resurgence following the anti-police riots of 2020 and the left-wing political movement to "defund the police." This rise in crime has sparked concerns among conservative citizens who value law and order and individual freedom.
Goetz, who was acquitted on attempted murder charges, served 8 months in jail for possessing an unlicensed handgun. The incident involved four teenagersDarrell Cabey, James Ramseur, Troy Canty, and Barry Allenwho claimed they were armed with sharpened screwdrivers for breaking into arcade game coin boxes, not for use as weapons.
The teens surrounded Goetz on a Manhattan-bound No. 2 train, and without displaying any weapons, Canty demanded, "Give me $5." In response, Goetz pulled out his unlicensed .38-caliber pistol and fired four shots, hitting Canty in the chest and Allen in the back.
Another bullet went through Ramseur's arm and into his side. The fourth shot missed Cabey. Goetz then fired his last shot at Cabey, severing his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed.
Goetz later recounted to detectives, "I said, 'You seem to be all right, here's another.'" He added, "If I was a little more under self-control I would have put the barrel against his forehead and fired." He also admitted that if he'd had more bullets, he would have continued shooting.
The media frenzy that ensued was intense. Goetz surrendered to police in Concord, New Hampshire, nine days later, confessing that he'd been illegally carrying a pistol since 1981, when he had been "maimed" during a previous mugging. He also revealed that he'd deterred other potential robbers by brandishing the weapon without firing.
Goetz claimed that due to his past experiences, he could tell by their behavior and facial expressions that the teens intended to rob him. Before the trial, at least two of the teens reportedly confessed to planning the robbery, but the court dismissed these statements as hearsay.
The parallels between the cases of Goetz and Penny highlight the ongoing debate over self-defense, racial dynamics, and the perception of crime in New York City. As the city grapples with these complex issues, the question remains: How can individuals protect themselves while ensuring that their actions are within the bounds of the law?
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