New York Councilman Justin Brannan is facing an ethics complaint after being accused of calling fellow councilmember Susan Zhuang “Susan Fang” and bringing a pair of mock teeth.
Both actions were in reference to the arrest of Zhuang after the New York Police Department accused her of biting an officer during a protest.
Politico reporter Jeff Coltin posted a photo of the teeth on X.
The New York Post reported exclusively that New York Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission member Jeff Law addressed a letter of complaint about Brannan to the ethics committee chair Sandra Ung and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
“For far too long, many Asian Americans have had to deal with hate crimes and hate speech, from former President Trump calling Covid the China virus to Councilman Brannan mocking Councilwoman Zhuang’s name—which is a slur all too familiar with Asian Americans since many intentionally mispronounce our names to mock our identity,” said Law.
State Assembly Majority Whip Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn called Brannan’s actions “disgusting and dangerous.”
Brannan accused Zhang allies of using him to try and deflect attention away from her arrest.
“Susan Zhuang has been charged with felony assault for biting a police officer on video. This ridiculous letter is nothing more than a desperate attempt by a disingenuous opponent to distract from that inconvenient truth,” a Brannan spokesman said to the Post.
Zhuang’s arrest came during her participation of a protest of the building of a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. Her actions were caught on video.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
We’re now on BlueSky. You can now keep up with the latest AAPI news there and on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and X.
We are supported by generous donations from our readers and by such charitable foundations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Koo and Patricia Yuen of the Yuen Foundation.
You can make your tax-deductible donations here via credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo. Stock donations and donations via DAFs are also welcomed.
