East Flatbush

Protests erupt in front of East Flatbush nail salon after brawl goes viral

August 9, 2018 By Sara Bosworth Special to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Assemblymember Diana Richardson. Photo courtesy of Richardson’s office
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Protestors gathered in front of an East Flatbush nail salon on Tuesday after a video of salon employees assaulting black customers went viral.

After the clients in question refused to pay for a faulty eyebrow wax, multiple salon employees attacked them with first acetone nail polish remover and then the wooden handle of a broomstick, Gothamist reported. One employee, 32-year-old HuiYue Zheng, was charged with misdemeanor assault, and the client who had refused to pay, 21-year-old Christina Thomas, was also arrested after fighting back. Both women were released on their own recognizance.

Diana C. Richardson, the State Assemblywoman who oversees the district of Flatbush, took to Facebook Live on Tuesday morning to denounce the actions of the salon employees as a “hate crime.”

Later that day, dozens of demonstrators protesting the salon’s actions gathered in front of the storefront, which had been shuttered for the day.

According to the Washington Post, the protestors claimed that the Asian-owned business had disrespected the primarily black neighborhood. Gothamist reported that some protestors held signs that said “Black $$$ Matter,” and chanted “No Nails, No Toes, These racist businesses has got to go.” They brought with them a petition available for signatures, calling for the city to permanently shut down the business.

“There is no respect for people in this neighborhood,” one East Flatbush resident told the Daily News. “Anytime a store doesn’t respect us, we’re going to shut it down. We will come, we will picket it and we’ll do whatever we have to close your store down.”

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