It's the Brian Larry Show on WNYC.

Good morning, everyone.

Well, the two high-profile killings in the news are dividing the public,

including many of our listeners, so many heartfelt texts

on one side or another on both of these stories, calls and texts on the last few shows.

The acquittal of Daniel Penny for the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely is horrifying many

as granting more permission for people like a white former Marine who was trained to kill

to fatally attack someone like a homeless, mentally ill black person in crisis who was scary

but didn't even touch anybody on that train. On the other hand, many other people are

relieved that someone who saw himself as using his training to prevent an act of violence from

taking place is not winding up as a criminal for doing so.

Republican Congressman Mike Lawler from north of the city released a statement saying

Penny should never have been charged.

It's reported that Lawler may run for governor next year.

On the other side of the question, New York

City public advocate, Jamani Williams, released a statement asking, quote, does anyone doubt that

if the roles were reversed and a white former Marine in a moment of crisis was choked to death by

a black homeless man, there would have been a different outcome, unquote, from Jamani Williams. So people are

divided on that. And on the public reaction to the killing of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson,

the backlash to the backlash, you might say, has begun to grow. You know, we've talked about

the thousands upon thousands of laugh emojis posted to the United

Healthcare Facebook page, 30,000 of them, according to the New Yorker, when the news of the murder

...