Yvonne McNeal, Homeless Lesbian Woman, Shot And Killed By New York Police

Questions are being raised about the death of a 57-year-old homeless lesbian woman who was shot and killed by the New York Police Department earlier this week.

Police opened fire on Yvonne McNeal after she refused to drop a pair of knives reports NY1.com. The incident took place in front of New Providence Women's Shelter, a center for homeless women suffering from mental illness or addictions, on Sunday at 8:30pm.

Police say they shot McNeal after she refused to put down her weapons. She was pronounced dead upon arrival at Bellevue Hospital.

Those who knew McNeal were shocked by the altercation.

"She never bothered nobody. But she had an argument when I went to the movies. I saw her arguing earlier on 43rd Street with her girlfriend, on the phone," a local told NY1, adding, "And when I came back from the movie theater, she told me that they shot her and everything. So I was like, 'What the hell is going on?'"

Another resident said, "She never bothered nobody. She never talked to nobody. She stayed all to herself, she'd speak and that was it. So I was surprised that it was her."

Others in the community are questioning whether the NYPD's use of deadly force was warranted.

The group Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ), which McNeal was a member of, released a statement saying they are "shocked and outraged" by the shooting:

Yvonne’s killing on Sunday underscores the reality that the police cannot be relied on to respond compassionately to low income LGBTQ people when it concerns issues of safety in our communities. At QEJ, we are asking again how many potentially dangerous situations every year have to end up in a police shooting? It cannot be accepted that calling the police can be deadly for low Income LGBTQ New Yorkers.

Even in aggravated situations, the police have a choice to use non-lethal deterrents. A 57 year old woman with a cane that is attempting to re-enter a building, should not be the target of lethal violence. When police targeted largely white Occupy Wall Street protesters, they used pepper spray. When faced with a vulnerable woman of color, they chose to use lethal force as their first option.

The group also noted that in a report released last year in conjunction with the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, it was found that "19 percent of 171 low income LGBTGNC survey responders in NYC had been physically assaulted in the past two years [after calling or interacting with the police]... Among those who were currently homeless, the number jumps to 24 percent."

On Thursday night QEJ marched on Wall Street in McNeal's honor.

Police say an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Comments

[dbrett480]

01:39 AM on 10/30/2011

I'm sure the cops cared that she was a lesbian homeless woman when she refused to put down the knives.

[Bfry420]

11:38 AM on 10/09/2011

wow Imwouldn't be afraid of this woman holding knives unless she could throw them as fast as a bullet from a gun. Inhumane. Lack of respect for life.

[Jason Hankins]

11:16 PM on 10/08/2011

I dont know why we dont have armor cops can wear to keep from getting stabbed so they can just walk up and disarm the person

[michelleobamaok]

06:23 PM on 10/08/2011

Is the writer of this story implying that the woman was lesbian, and therefore; mentally ill?

[Jo Hargis]

09:36 PM on 10/08/2011

I didn't get that impression. I got the impression she was shot because she was gay. I suspect really she got shot because she's mentally ill. This is ridiculous, why would it be necessary to shoot someone with a gun? Pepper spray or something would have taken care of the situation.

[Carmen Slade]

03:51 PM on 10/08/2011

LAPD jokes about beating the mentally ill, and have cute names for it.

[stupid humans]

01:44 PM on 10/08/2011

where were the tasers....?????

[michelleobamaok]

06:24 PM on 10/08/2011

Maybe the police thought of her as Super Lesbian, and therefore; tasers wouldn't be enough?

[take10]

01:01 PM on 10/08/2011

Now, they get to wear a hero badge for killing a woman who was no real threat. That's how they justify their actions and the code blue. I'll bet they were celebrated at some pub for their "kill."

[Klous]

11:05 AM on 10/08/2011

If they tazed this poor deranged woman you folks would be saying that was too harsh. If they wrestled her to the ground it would be too much force. If they walked away and she stabbed someone you would say the cops didn't do their jobs to protect the populous. I can't imagine doing the no-win job of the police.

[SocratesFan]

01:13 PM on 10/08/2011

I would NOT argue that it would be too much force if they wrestled her to the ground. My own father, while not a policeman, had to wrestle an unruly teenager to the ground once. That was all it took, no guns or tasers necessary.

Stop rationalizing unnecessary violence by putting words in my mouth and the other liberals' mouths.

[Klous]

01:21 PM on 10/08/2011

If only you were more like your father.

[2083]

01:46 PM on 10/08/2011

Was the "unruly teenager" armed with a pair of knives?
Have you ever seen a victim of a knife assault?

[NewLiberals]

02:13 PM on 10/08/2011

And she might still be alive.

Any objections to that?

[Klous]

03:00 PM on 10/08/2011

None at all. I am only pointing out that this is a no-win situation for the police. This woman was every type of minority possible and the officer would be condemned no matter what he/she had done.

[michelleobamaok]

10:39 AM on 10/08/2011

I don't know what this has to do with lesbianism. I mean, was she flashing some skin or her lesbian card?

The problem, as I see it, is that a homeless and possibly mentally disabled person was shot for no reason. She had knives, and so she was executed. This is the real crime, in my opinion.

[NyJimbo]

01:26 PM on 10/08/2011

Agreed. As soon as I read "homeless lesbian woman, shot and killed" I had to see what her being lesbian had to do with it. Unless her sexual orientation was some kind of issue during this tragic event, it should not even be part of this story.

[icedover4ever]

06:01 PM on 10/08/2011

She refused to follow a direct order to put the knives down. She was not being cooperative.

[RationalityPlease]

08:39 AM on 10/08/2011

While I realize that law enforcement officers have a very difficult and increasingly dangerous job, the number of questionable and/or illegal shootings by officers, across the nation, is unconscionable. Especially the increasingly large numbers of shootings of our mentally ill and others who are otherwise marginalized by our society.

Recently, in my city, an officer shot and killed a man--known by the police department to be suffering from schizophrenia. The office shot this man in the back, three times, while attempting to serve a warrant. It was quite clear the officers failed to take any of a number of reasonable precautions prior to attempting to serve the warrant.

This time, however, the victim wasn't homeless, lesbian or gay, or a member of any other marginalized group. He was related to some powerful people. Suddenly, our police department is finally getting around to doing something about properly training our police officers.

If this trend of questionable and/ or illegal shootings continues in your area, I guess you just have to wait until some rich person's relative is one of the victims?

[Ds2vet]

10:35 AM on 10/10/2011

I put this all the way back here because I didnt want it to draw attention. email me here, aman [e-mail] I have something to talk to you about.

[Ds2vet]

10:37 AM on 10/10/2011

I put this back here to keep it oout of sight in hopes that only you would see it. Email me aman_witheye4_talent yahoo I have something to talk to you about.

[AngryHarpy]

02:18 AM on 10/08/2011

Such a shame. I hope she is at peace in Heaven and no longer suffering from any mental ailments.

[Tammy Musgrove]

11:47 PM on 10/07/2011

It will be interesting to hear all the facts, if indeed we ever get to know them. I don't understand yet why tasers weren't used, if indeed any sort of "force" was needed. It's easy to armchair-quarterback. I realize that, but boy this smells to high heaven.

[dogtac69]

11:10 PM on 10/07/2011

Law enforcement all across this country needs to be better trained in dealing with the menally ill. This type of thing happens too often.

[Dan Slander]

09:47 PM on 10/07/2011

The woman was wielding a pair of knives, her sapphic lifestyle did not enter into it. Bit of a stretch I'd say.

[DMSmith]

11:39 PM on 10/07/2011

Wielding a pair of knives? That is NOT what the article says. It says only that she refused to put them down. NOWHERE does it say OR imply that she was 'wielding' them.
Pay attention and don't make assumptions.

[Dan Slander]

05:52 AM on 10/08/2011

Hey DM you go and disarm some mentally deranged person at 2am in the morning who refuses to put them down. Be very gentle when you do.

[Klous]

11:01 AM on 10/08/2011

In order to put something down you need to be holding it. Hence the term wielding. You may want to brush up on your vocabulary.

[tiredoftheBS]

08:02 PM on 10/07/2011

Maybe pepper spray would have been appropriate. On the other hand, pepper spray is only to be used to harrass innocent protesters, Gay, unstable people are best handled by killing first, then claiming your actions were also appropriate police behavior.