Pol: Asians are coming ‘in blocks’

A CITY COUNCIL member on Thursday bizarrely claimed that a wave of Asians has invaded public housing in her Brooklyn district.

During a hearing on Housing Authority funding, Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo — who represents a wide patch from Fort Greene to Crown Heights — asked why “certain ethnic groups come” into a NYCHA development “in blocks.”

NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye noted the authority has a waiting list of 250,000 hoping for public housing, and tenants are picked strictly in chronological order, with preference given for homeless families and victims of domestic violence.

Clearly perplexed, Olatoye asked Cumbo (photo above) to elaborate.

“We have a large Asian population in our district — and we love them,” Cumbo replied, claiming that the ethnic group “had the opportunity to move into a development in large numbers.”

In a statement, Cumbo later claimed that two Fort Greene developments, the Walt Whitman Houses and Ingersoll Houses, “have welcomed a sizable increase from the Asian population within a small window of time.”

Without elaborating on the “window of time,” Cumbo said her question “was focused on bringing transparency and clarity to the randomization process outlined” in NYCHA’s tenant selection rules.

“It was not my intention to offend the Asian community or any other cultural group that calls NYCHA home,” she said.

NYCHA spokeswoman Jean Weinberg said, “New York’s tremendous diversity is what makes this the greatest city in the world.”

Shortly after her election in 2013, Cumbo infuriated Jewish groups by writing on Facebook that black residents were being “pushed out of their (apartments) by Jewish landlords.”

She went on to praise Jews, but added, “The accomplishments of the Jewish community triggers feelings of resentment, and a sense that Jewish success is not also their success.”