Liu Zhen, a 73-year-old aide to Brooklyn Republican state Sen. Steve Chan, was arrested Tuesday and charged with third-degree assault after allegedly striking a volunteer for Democratic opponent Larry He at campaign tables in Bensonhurst. Sources cited in the New York Post said the volunteer fell to the ground. Zhen was issued a desk appearance ticket and released.
The New York Post reported, citing sources, that the two volunteers were at tables about 50 feet apart along 86th Street when one allegedly struck the other. The outlet said video shows a woman appearing to be Zhen reaching over a table and swiping at a He campaign volunteer before returning to her own table.
The Post also reported that Chan accompanied Zhen to a police car after her arrest and suspended her for the time being. Chan disputed the assault allegation, calling it false and saying the fall was staged. He also said his own volunteer was wrong to walk over to his rival's table and “definitely should not have done that.”
A Shelter Fight Sets the Backdrop
The dueling campaign tables sat across from a long-contested proposed homeless shelter site on 86th Street, the kind of flashpoint that has defined Bensonhurst politics for years. Residents have protested the shelter plan for years, citing safety and location concerns, according to ny1.com. The proposed facility could house up to 150 single adult men, the outlet reported, while city officials have said the shelter would include on-site case managers to help residents find permanent housing and employment.
Community leaders have pushed Mayor Zohran Mamdani to meet with them about alternative uses for the site, including affordable housing or a facility for seniors, per the same ny1.com report. The simmering dispute over the shelter has made the stretch of 86th Street a magnet for political activity, setting the stage for this week's clash between the two camps.
How the City Notifies Communities
A 2024 NYC Department of Homeless Services rulemaking notice says amended city law requires the agency to establish a process for notifying local elected officials and the community board where a new shelter is proposed. According to NYC DHS, after notifying those partners about an approved proposal, the agency works with the community board to host an informational session about the project.
He Campaign Stays Silent
The Larry He campaign declined to comment on the arrest or the allegations against Zhen, the Post reported. That silence leaves Chan's version of events — that the fall was staged — as the only detailed public account so far, since the rival camp has not offered its own narrative of what unfolded at the tables.
A Familiar Name Tied to the Shelter Fight
The Bensonhurst shelter site has already produced one high-profile legal case involving a local Democrat. Brooklyn Councilmember Susan Zhuang, a Democrat, had a 2025 criminal case stemming from an alleged confrontation with police dismissed and sealed last year after she completed a restorative justice process. A Brooklyn judge, Masateru Marubashi, agreed to dismiss and seal the case against Zhuang following a restorative justice session with NYPD Deputy Chief Frank DiGiacomo, according to thecity.nyc.
Court documents alleged Zhuang bit a deputy police chief's forearm and resisted being handcuffed, as reported by nbcnewyork.com. The Brooklyn district attorney's office said the dismissal was based on the wishes of the victim and the defendant's willingness to make amends, that outlet noted. DiGiacomo has separately filed a Brooklyn Supreme Court civil lawsuit against Zhuang accusing her of negligence and of leaving him permanently injured, according to a report from yahoo.com.
Whether this week's campaign-table arrest carries any further legal fallout for Zhen remains to be seen. For now, the episode stands as the latest flashpoint in a Bensonhurst political landscape where a stalled shelter proposal has repeatedly spilled into confrontation along 86th Street.
