NY State Senator Suspends Staffer For Racist Post Against Asians and Women on Instagram

February 8, 2018

A state senator’s staff member got himself suspended from his job after his ignorant Instagram posts in which he mocked Asians and women were discovered.

Daiquan Frasier, a community coordinator for New York Democratic Sen. Brian Benjamin, reportedly posted a photo of an Asian man being surrounded by children doing the slant-eye gesture.

In the caption, he wrote, “When you try to help the children in need but end up getting roasted instead.”

In another photo, wherein a woman is seen watching over a man holding the Earth on his shoulders, he wrote, “Bitches be like u must of left the moon @ that Bitch hou.”

After being notified of Frasier’s insensitive comments, Benjamin ordered the suspension for his erring staffer on Sunday, as confirmed by the senator’s spokesman Neil Reilly. Reilly noted that Frasier, whose Instagram account is now set to private, would need to undergo “sensitivity training” to retain his job.

Local officials and advocates immediately expressed their disappointment over the insensitive posts, reports the New York Post.

“The staffer’s photos are unfortunate and disappointing,” Asian American Federation Executive Director Jo-Ann Yoo was quoted as saying. “I hope that he has matured and understands why these posts are harmful, and he will evolve into a more thoughtful leader.”

Yoo revealed that while speaking with Senator Benjamin over the issue, he “pledged to work with AAF to make this a teachable moment for all our young people.”

Democratic Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim called the images “immature” and “insensitive.”

“We’ll try to work together in making sure that there’s no misunderstanding between the two communities — Asian-American and African-American — and that our staff members don’t reflect the wrong type of values,” Kim explained.

Feature Image via Instagram / dai_quan

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