Lafayette College prof freaks out over Daniel Penny acquittal, lashes out at those calling him 'a hero'
‘There it is. Daniel Penny acquitted. And far right twitter is presently doing cartwheels, proclaiming him a hero, inducting him into the pantheon of vigilante saints,’ Feola wrote.
‘All to feed their fantasies of a world spiraling out-of control, where only the violence of the brave white man can set it right,’ he continued.
A professor from Lafayette College expressed his disappointment with Daniel Penny’s acquittal and seemed to claim that his defenders were motivated by racist sentiments.
Michael Feola, a Government and Law professor at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, wrote on Monday on Bluesky: “There it is. Daniel Penny acquitted. And far right twitter is presently doing cartwheels, proclaiming him a hero, inducting him into the pantheon of vigilante saints. All to feed their fantasies of a world spiraling out-of control, where only the violence of the brave white man can set it right.”
Feola’s post came after Daniel Penny, a man who defended fellow subway passengers in New York City from a deranged homeless man who threatened them with violence, was acquitted of criminal charges levied against him on Monday.
Penny’s trial sparked a national controversy, with his defenders pointing out that he defended other passengers from a credible threat of violence, and his detractors claiming his actions constituted racist violence.
Feola also previously responded to a post from Charlie Kirk calling Penny “an American Hero.” Expressing his outrage at Kirk’s statement, Feola wrote: “From the far right mega-influencers. Hard at work canonizing a white man who choked a Black man to death. You know a people by what they worship. In this case (and so many others), extrajudicial violence, directed toward a racialized vision of order, enforced by strong, white men.”
Feola previously published “The Rage of Replacement: Far Right Politics and Demographic Fear,” and his research interests include “Critical Theory” and “Mass Incarceration.”
Penny’s actions have triggered anger from other college and university professors as well.
On May 4, 2023, Columbia University professor Anthony Zenkus claimed it is “racist” to feel worried about the potentially violent behavior of subway passengers, writing: “Racists: The bum on the train was threatening and scary.”
Campus Reform has reached out to Lafayette College and Professor Feola for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
