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Dear New Yorkers,

South Brooklyn Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D-Bensonhurst) was charged with second degree assault after an altercation Wednesday morning during which she allegedly bit a police officer.

The incident occurred during a protest against a planned homeless shelter in Zhuang’s district that has been the target of weeks of demonstrations from the neighborhood’s increasingly right-leaning Asian American community.

The district doesn’t currently have a single homeless shelter. But anger against the proposed shelter — slated to provide mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and vocational training for 150 homeless New Yorkers — has been bubbling for months.

Tensions spilled over early Wednesday, following a slew of 311 complaints about work occurring at the site. A crowd including Zhuang gathered at the site.

Community activist Kenneth Chiu told THE CITY he was standing alongside Zhuang as the situation got increasingly tense. An older woman had collapsed on the ground partially under a police barricade, and Chiu tried to move the barricade to help the woman up, he said. An officer jumped the barricade and started making arrests.

Videos circulating in WeChat groups posted to X showed Zhuang scuffling with officers as she was taken away in handcuffs.

“I didn’t see the biting, but I saw a bite mark,” Chiu told THE CITY.

Read more here about the alleged biting incident.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Thursday's Weather Rating: 7/10. SIGNS OF LIFE! Still warm and humid to start the day, but northwest winds start ushering in lower humidity as the day goes on. Partly sunny, with highs in the upper 80s. The vibes are finally increasing!

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Our Other Top Stories

The Transport Workers Union is suing top MTA officials over an alleged “shadow cut” to bus service that’s making riders endure longer wait times. The suit, filed yesterday, accuses the officials of reducing “between 5% and 10%” of the number of bus runs from depots in Brooklyn, Manhattan and The Bronx. It seeks a temporary restraining order to keep more cuts from occurring. For our Summer & THE CITY newsletter, we met up with the summertime crew of restoration interns who travel all over the boroughs to maintain the more than 800 public sculptures in New York City. A developer hoping to build a residential tower next to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is trying for a second time to get city approval. This time, the proposed building is less than half the height of the former proposal. But opponents worry about the shade the building would cast on the garden’s conservatories.

Yesterday, about 170 residents of Fordham Towers in The Bronx called on lawmakers to force their landlord to make critical repairs. The 16-story building has more than 500 open violations, and residents say the elevators have not worked properly for more than a year.

Summer & THE CITY brings you the best of summer, by and for New Yorkers. It’s a free, weekly newsletter to help you enjoy — and survive — the hottest months in the five boroughs.

Plus, we’re raffling THE CITY’s limited edition summer merch over there. Don’t miss out.

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Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Friday, July 19: A free outdoor screening of Wonka (2023), from 8 to 10 p.m. at WNYC Transmitter Park in Brooklyn.  Saturday, July 20: An outdoor music concert hosted by the Queens College School of Arts. Free from 2 to 4 p.m. at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Sunday, July 21: The weekly Brooklyn Pop-Up Market, with jewelry and goods by local artisans, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Brooklyn Museum.

THE KICKER: Starting today, food trucks are serving kids for free in Brooklyn, The Bronx and Manhattan, reports PIX11.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Thursday.

Love,

THE CITY

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