Kicked in the Face over race
AN INCOMING Brooklyn city councilman booted a member of his transition team who posted racist comments on Facebook.
“I don’t understand why so many politically-connected Chinese people like to suck black ck (sic),” Warren Chan, who had been volunteering for Councilman-elect Justin Brannan, wrote on Facebook last week.
The comments, first reported by the website Kings County Politics, came as part of an online back-andforth started by Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou about the racial demographics of voters in last week’s Alabama Senate race, which Democrat Doug Jones won with overwhelming support from black voters.
Brannan (photo inset, left) removed Chan (photo right), executive director of the Asian Community United Society, on Friday when the comments came to light.
“Warren’s comments are reprehensible and vile,” Jonathan Yedin, Brannan’s transition committee director, told Kings County Politics.
“We have removed him from the transition committee effective immediately.”
Brannan was elected in November to the Bay Ridge seat, replacing termlimited Councilman Vincent Gentile.
There was no answer Sunday at a Brooklyn address listed as Chan’s.
He apologized for his remark Friday in a statement to Kings County Politics.
“I want to apologize to everyone that was offended by my recent social media comment,” Chan said.
“I want to reemphasize the social media post is my opinion and statement only.”