Outgoing Rep. Jamaal Bowman Sparks Controversy with ‘Dear White People’ Thread After Daniel Penny Acquittal

Outgoing Rep. Jamaal Bowman has generated significant controversy with a recent social media thread titled ‘Dear White People,’ which he posted in response to the acquittal of Marine veteran Daniel Penny. Penny was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a incident that was captured on camera and showed Penny choking Neely for six minutes.

In his thread on X, Bowman expressed his frustration and disappointment, questioning why he continues to engage with white people despite feeling a deep-seated hope for change. “Dear White People, I don’t know why I feel the need to keep talking to you. I don’t know why part of me still has hope for you and for us. Some of you are too far gone. But maybe enough of you aren’t and will join us in fighting to end white supremacy,” Bowman wrote in the initial post of his thread.

Bowman, who lost the Democratic primary in New York‘s 16th Congressional District earlier this year and will soon leave Congress, highlighted the systemic issues of racial injustice and police brutality. He mentioned several high-profile cases, including those of Rodney King, George Floyd, and Jordan Neely, to illustrate the persistent lack of accountability and justice for Black victims of police violence.

The congressman’s posts were met with strong reactions, with some users feeling triggered by his words. Bowman retweeted his initial post and commented on the backlash, stating, “Seems like I hit a nerve. White people on X going crazy on this one. Must’ve been a lot of truth in what I posted.”

This incident is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Bowman, who recently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for falsely pulling a fire alarm in a House office building and was subsequently censured by the House of Representatives.