A massive march unfolded Sunday at Foley Square with several thousand Chinese community members spilling onto the sidewalks and streets, brandishing signs and American flags. The demonstrators from the Chinese communities of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, rallied near the federal courts in Manhattan and then marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn.
Local community members organized the march following the arrest of Democratic New York City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang, who bit a deputy police chief during a protest against a planned homeless shelter in her district. “Safe Homes, Safe Schools, No Shelter!,” “Equal Justice for Susan Zhuang!” the demonstrators’ chants echoed continuously. They rallied against police brutality, and demanded respect and attention for the concerns of the Asian community, in addition to justice and fairness.
Meanwhile, march organizers chose to focus on broader demands in a bid to mobilize public support. While many came because of an earlier protest against a proposed homeless shelter in South Brooklyn and to support Zhuang, for many others the march stood for something greater. The march underscored the long-standing frustration and dissatisfaction among many Chinese community members over the poor communication and consensus with the city on various issues, from improving public safety to how the city has been allocating resources.
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Nearly two weeks ago, local residents clashed with police during a protest against a planned homeless shelter in south Brooklyn on July 17. Council member Susan Zhuang, who represents the district, was arrested for biting an officer. She said that she was trying to protect a 78-year-old woman who had fallen under the police barricade.
Zhuang, who is facing charges of assault, resisting arrest, and obstruction of governmental administration, did not attend Sunday’s demonstration. She told Documented that, given her sensitive position related to the ongoing case, she did not want to become the spotlight of the protest and was not involved in organizing it.
Zhuang expressed her gratitude for the support from the community in a post on X. “The #AAPI community today has made their voice known across New York City,” she wrote. “As the fastest growing community in the city, our voice and votes matter!”
Facing the crowd, John Chan, the organizer of the march and convener of the Coalition of Asian American Civil Rights, raised his right fist into the air, saying, “For too long, the well-being of our community has been overlooked.” Behind him, a large blue banner read “Justice for All, Justice for AAPI.”
Chan noted that since the pandemic the Asian community has been struggling to cope with hate crimes and deteriorating public safety. The city government has not only failed to address the urgent needs of the Asian community, he said, but has also further put an “unfair burden” of having homeless shelters built in their communities, citing several shelters built in downtown Flushing and Manhattan Chinatown.
The proposed homeless shelter that ignited the protest at 25th Avenue and 86th Street is expected to house 150 single men, including those experiencing with mental health issues. It would be the first and only shelter in the South Brooklyn council district, according to city officials. Many local residents are concerned that its proximity to schools and senior centers may pose safety risks.
“We are not against helping homeless people; we are against building homeless shelters in the wrong places,” said Fen Qiu, who brought his 9-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son to the march. “Having a fair share of homeless shelters in the Chinese community and ensuring our input in the building process is part of the justice we ask for,” Qiu added.
At the rally, many Chinese community leaders demanded a halt to the construction of the shelter and called on the city to respect the community by improving engagement on issues affecting the Asian community. The demonstrators also urged the police department to investigate the excessive use of force during the protest on July 17 and requested that the Brooklyn District Attorney drop all charges against those who were arrested.
“The mayor has been crystal clear that it is never acceptable for anyone to assault or bite a police officer. This behavior should not be celebrated under any circumstance,” a City Hall spokesperson said.
Several Chinese community members said the march could have been the largest since the 2016 protest by Chinese Americans against the conviction of NYPD Officer Peter Liang, a Chinese-American officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man. Many viewed it as another milestone in the journey of civil engagement of Chinese Americans.
“If you are surprised by how the protest has reached this point, that’s because you don’t understand our community enough,” said Sam Ni, a Brooklyn activist and one of the organizers of the march.
Ni reiterated sentiments that the clash between local residents and the police, along with the massive march, reflected the long-repressed needs within the Chinese community. He noted that the Chinese community in South Brooklyn had organized several large protests against the shelter since last fall, accompanied by a petition that has already garnered over 30,000 signatures in recent months.
However, several community members including Zhuang told Documented that the city was not responsive. “The anger and frustration among the Chinese community have been accumulating,” said Ni.
Many Chinese residents in the South Brooklyn district are homeowners, which strengthens their connection to the community and increases their willingness to engage in local issues, according to Ni. In recent years, the local Chinese community has held numerous demonstrations on various topics, further enhancing the bonds created by shared values and voter education among its members, Ni told Documented.
“Our way of fighting for our rights may seem somewhat ugly, but the flowers that bloom reflect the soil they come from,” Ni said. “This is the only way we can carve out a path forward.”
City Hall, however, has refuted claims of a lack of communication with the community regarding the planned homeless shelter. They pointed out that the Department of Social Services sent a letter to the Community Board 11 last November notifying them of the plans to build the shelter and the city hall staff have since been in regular communication with local elected officials, including Council member Zhuang, often on a “weekly basis.” City officials suggested that the lack of communication may be attributed to elected officials not adequately informing their constituents.
“We maintain open lines of communication with the community and remain committed to ongoing engagement to address the neighborhoods’ needs,” said William Fowler, a spokesperson for the mayor, in a statement.
Meanwhile, some other Chinese community members are remaining cautious about what results this march could achieve.
A Chinese community member from Queens, who wished to remain anonymous, noted that while many communities held protests against homeless shelters, the recent demonstration in South Brooklyn was unprecedented in scale and complexity because of the clashes between police and protesters.
“Unlike previous protests that overlooked certain issues, this demonstration brought the topic of police brutality — a subject less frequently discussed within the Asian community — into the spotlight,” said the Queens resident.
The resident said the protest has prompted the newly majority-Asian district in South Brooklyn, where the electorate in recent years has increasingly shifted to the right on issues of crime and education , to reflect on the harm caused by excessive law enforcement. He said he believed that partisan conflicts have politicized this protest, potentially leading to stronger support for Councilwoman Zhuang in her district, while further isolating Zhuang in the city council.
Zhuang is a member of the conservative Common Sense Caucus and has consistently claimed to support the police. However, following the incident of assaulting the police officer, she faced criticism from several city council members and the Police Benevolent Association which had previously endorsed her during her campaign.
In WeChat chat groups, some members inquired about the details of the incident involving the biting of the police officer, expressing concern that missing this crucial information could undermine the legitimacy of the protest.
Councilmember Zhuang told Documented that the mayor has met with her following the arrest, and they discussed the issues surrounding the homeless shelter. Zhuang said that she rejected the city’s suggestion to transform the shelter into a female-only facility, while the city also dismissed her proposals for alternative locations. The Mayor’s office refused to provide more details about the private conversation.
City Hall reiterated its commitment to build shelter as part of the efforts to solve the homeless crisis. “The Adams administration plans to continue moving forward with this much needed shelter — the first of its kind in this community — which will offer New Yorkers experiencing homelessness the critical care they need to get back on their feet.” Fowler told Documented in a statement.
“It’s a step forward that the mayor’s office is now communicating with us more frequently, but we’re uncertain if we can achieve the results we desire,” Zhuang said.
One thing Zhuang is certain of is that awareness of civic engagement among Chinese community members has been awakened. She noted that after the protest on July 17, more than 600 people sought assistance with voter registration. “They realized that voting is a way to make their voices heard,” Zhuang added.
Jacky Wong, a member of the Greater Chinatown Civic Coalition and an advocate against the homeless shelter at 91 East Broadway in Chinatown, attended the march with dozens of Chinatown residents to show their support. “If Mayor Adams continues to let the Asian community down, he will see the consequences reflected in the ballots.”
