Latest news with #SusanZhuang
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYC council member accused of biting a police officer has her case dismissed
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City Council member accused of biting a police officer during a protest had her criminal case dismissed after she completed a 'restorative justice process,' the Brooklyn district attorney's office said Tuesday. The Democratic council member, Susan Zhuang, had been charged with felony assault and various misdemeanors and violations over the encounter last year, which allegedly occurred during a chaotic protest over the construction of a new homeless shelter in her Brooklyn district. According to a court complaint, Zhuang bit a deputy police chief's forearm and resisted being handcuffed after being told to stop pushing barricades toward officers. Zhuang later said police used excessive force as she was trying to help a woman who was lying on the ground under a barricade. Zhuang's office did not immediately return an emailed request for comment on Tuesday. Her attorney Jerry Goldfeder declined to comment. A spokesperson for Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the case against Zhuang was dismissed 'through a restorative justice process that created space for dialogue, accountability, and healing.' 'It was based on the wishes of the victim and the defendant's willingness to make amends,' said Oren Yaniv, the spokesperson. "This is exactly what restorative is meant to do — address harm, foster understanding, and support a path forward.'
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
NYC council member accused of biting a police officer has her case dismissed
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City Council member accused of biting a police officer during a protest had her criminal case dismissed after she completed a 'restorative justice process,' the Brooklyn district attorney's office said Tuesday. The Democratic council member, Susan Zhuang, had been charged with felony assault and various misdemeanors and violations over the encounter last year, which allegedly occurred during a chaotic protest over the construction of a new homeless shelter in her Brooklyn district. According to a court complaint, Zhuang bit a deputy police chief's forearm and resisted being handcuffed after being told to stop pushing barricades toward officers. Zhuang later said police used excessive force as she was trying to help a woman who was lying on the ground under a barricade. Zhuang's office did not immediately return an emailed request for comment on Tuesday. Her attorney Jerry Goldfeder declined to comment. A spokesperson for Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the case against Zhuang was dismissed 'through a restorative justice process that created space for dialogue, accountability, and healing.' 'It was based on the wishes of the victim and the defendant's willingness to make amends,' said Oren Yaniv, the spokesperson. 'This is exactly what restorative is meant to do — address harm, foster understanding, and support a path forward.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYC Councilmember Susan Zhuang, arrested for biting cop, has charges dropped
Susan Zhuang, the New York City Councilmember arrested for biting a cop at an anti-homeless shelter protest, had her charges dropped Tuesday after she went through a restorative justice program. Zhuang, a first-term conservative Democrat, was charged with biting NYPD Deputy Chief Frank DiGiacomo in the arm, drawing blood, during a July 2024 protest against a planned homeless shelter in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The program, run through Brooklyn Justice Initiatives and the Brooklyn DA's office, brought Zhuang and DiGiacomo together to have a constructive conversation about the incident, in addition to sessions before and after. 'This case was resolved through a restorative justice process that created space for dialogue, accountability, and healing,' a spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney's office said in a statement. 'It was based on the wishes of the victim and the defendant's willingness to make amends. This is exactly what restorative is meant to do — address harm, foster understanding, and support a path forward.' Zhuang, a member of the Republican-majority Common Sense Caucus, has aligned herself with the NYPD and was endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association in 2023. 'It made the most sense for both sides to resolve the case this way,' Jerry Goldfeder, Zhuang's attorney, told the Daily News. The councilmember was charged with felony assault, resisting arrest and obstruction of government administration after her arrest at the 6 a.m. protest. She pleaded not guilty, arguing that she had been protecting an elderly woman. Zhuang has received community support after the arrest, with locals staging a parade in her honor shortly after her arrest. Her legal defense fund opened to help cover expenses raised $66,000. The City Council opened an investigation into the incident last year, but paused proceedings until her case was sorted out in court. The case is sealed and won't remain on her record. Goldfeder noted that Zhuang, who is up for reelection this year, faces no primary and 'no opponent on either the conservative, Republican or Working Families line.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cop-biting charges dismissed against NYC Council member
NEW YORK — A New York City Council member arrested for biting a police officer's arm at a protest against a proposed homeless shelter had her charges dismissed Tuesday after completing a "restorative" justice process. Council Member Susan Zhuang was charged with second degree assault, a felony, and seven other charges following an early morning protest in July in her Southern Brooklyn district. She pleaded not guilty and contended she was trying to protect another protester, an elderly woman. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez's office said the police officer who was bitten, NYPD Deputy Chief Frank DiGiacomo, was supportive of the decision. 'This case was resolved through a restorative justice process that created space for dialogue, accountability, and healing,' a spokesperson for Gonzalez said in a statement. 'It was based on the wishes of the victim and the defendant's willingness to make amends. This is exactly what restorative justice is meant to do — address harm, foster understanding, and support a path forward.' Zhuang and DiGiacomo met together just once, as part of a program operated by the Center for Justice Innovation, the spokesperson said. Zhuang's lawyer Jerry Goldfeder declined to comment. Zhuang is a Democrat and a member of the conservative-leaning Common Sense Caucus, along with Republican council members. She has aligned herself with the NYPD and was endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association in 2023, so her headline-grabbing assault shocked police brass. 'Councilwoman Zhuang has been a great partner to the New York City Police Department for a long time,' NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said at a press conference after her arrest. 'But actions today, of assaulting one of our police officers, a deputy chief, by biting him viciously in the arm, I can't explain it right now.' Months before her arrest, a crowd of mostly elderly Asian American New Yorkers had been gathering outside a vacant building in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, banging pots and pans in opposition to the city's plans to contract out the site as a shelter for 150 men. Zhuang has helped organize the protests, which have continued for more than a year. Zhuang is Chinese, and she received energetic support in her community after the arrest. The legal defense fund she opened to help cover the expenses raised more than $65,000 in three months. The dismissal was unconditional, and the case won't remain on Zhuang's record. But the possibility remains that she could face sanctions from the City Council. The body's Committee on Standards and Ethics opened an investigation into the incident in September but put all proceedings on hold until the case was resolved in court. Zhuang is up for reelection this year and is running unopposed.
