Tim Pool pledges $20K to Daniel Penny defense fund

Journalist Tim Pool recently announced that he was providing $20,000 to the defense fund for Daniel Penny, a former marine who has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in New York City after putting Jordan Neely, a repeat violent offender, in a chokehold to stop him from threatening passengers.

Pool initially said that he was not going to provide funds for Penny’s defense, characterizing those who do so as supporting people who choose to live in cities “that will destroy you,” adding that “it drains resources” from those who are attempting to do a good thing. However, Pool has now changed his mind, saying that “I started to realize we got to win this. This fight right here is bigger than I realized.”

Pool explained a bit about the situation that led him to change his mind, saying: “I'm looking at the stories, and I don't know, I started to feel bad. It's a combination of things that I'm seeing so many people take what little they had to try and save the life of Daniel Penny, a man who tried to save the life of others. And here I was sitting back, saying it's your problem, deal with it, [and it] felt kind of bad.”

Pool continued: “It's not just one more story. It’s actually getting bigger than I think many people expected it to be. And so I thought, ‘You know what, not only am I going to contribute, but I'll call it a penalty for my lack of good faith.’ So I have personally contributed $20,000 to Daniel Penny's defense fund. I hope it goes to the right place. I hope that it helps. I hope it makes a difference. And I hope that basically, I don't know. I hope that it shows I really do think we need to push back and win this, and maybe we should not be so defeatist.”