We at Brooklyn Community Foundation are devastated by the loss of Jordan Neely, a young Black man who died Monday afternoon by the hands of a fellow subway rider. Jordan was homeless and hungry and enraged by the conditions that so many New Yorkers are enduring right now.

Nothing can justify his death, or the circumstances that enabled it: the ongoing public health and housing crisis that disproportionately harms Black people and all people of color in this city.

We cannot accept this tragedy. We must do better for Jordan and for all our fellow New Yorkers to be each other’s caretakers and defend each other’s humanity and existence. We must acknowledge that the pain and suffering of our neighbors will seep into our own homes if we do not all work together to undo the structures that have caused them.  

Every one of us can and must do something. Please start by supporting the work of the community-based nonprofits on the ground working with the most vulnerable New Yorkers like Jordan. You can find information on hundreds of local, life-saving organizations here on our website. 

We are all the answer.