Councilwoman allegedly bit officer at protest against homeless shelter in Brooklyn
BENSONHURST, Brooklyn (PIX11) --- A Brooklyn council member was arrested for allegedly biting a police officer during a protest at a construction site for a homeless shelter Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Councilwoman Susan Zhuang allegedly assaulted the cop when a group of about 150 protesters clashed with police officers at the site at 2501 86th St. in Bensonhurst, according to the NYPD. Authorities said seven protesters were arrested at the scene and six of them were released with a ticket.
Zhuang, who has been outspoken about her opposition to the homeless shelter, will be arraigned for the assault, police said. The councilwoman's office claimed she was defending another protester at the rally.
"Council Member Zhuang was arrested while protecting an 80-year-old woman also protesting," her spokesperson told PIX11 News.
The group is opposed to plans for the city to build a homeless shelter for single men in their neighborhood. Construction started early Wednesday morning and many neighborhood residents were awoken by jackhammers at around 5 a.m., according to Zhuang's spokesperson.
A video posted on Citizen App showed a large group of rowdy people holding signs in front of the building, which was barricaded off by police. One of the signs read, “Fight against proposed homeless shelter at 25 Ave & 86 St.”
Protesters were seen grabbing and tossing the police barricades used for crowd control, another video posted by Oliya Scootercaster to X showed. Several people were caught on video being detained by police officers.
Construction workers were also seen on video boarding up the building, according to Scootercaster.
Zhuang believes the neighborhood is not the best spot for the homeless shelter.
“It’s next to a school; there are five schools nearby, across the street, there’s a senior center here, also a day care center here. This is not the proper location,” Zhuang previously told PIX11 News.
The shelter is slated to open in late 2024.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.