A New York City housing employee has been suspended and an investigation is underway after a city resident took to social media with a letter he received that was condemned as demonstrating anti-Asian bias.
Duc Pham posted on Facebook this week that an inspector had come to his First Avenue apartment to check on heat and hot water, and didn’t ask for his or his roommate's name. He showed a letter he said was sent to the Sutton Place apartment, addressed to “Chin Chong.”
“Great job, NYC,” he wrote in his post, which was brought to the attention of city officials.
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In a statement, the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development said it was conducting an investigation and an employee has been suspended without pay.
"After some time processing it, we were disappointed because it came from the city itself," Pham told NBC New York. The agency said it had reached out to Pham to offer “profound apologies.”
“Racism has no place in New York City,” the agency said. “We stand with the AAPI community against hate.”
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Pham and his roommate Khang Duong said they were stunned by the letter, saying that there had been no indication from the inspector that he had any issues with them.
"We don't want to blame anyone here, but there needs to be action," said Duong. "The leaders of the city, of the country speak about it, but seem to have very little effect at all, and the Asian community keeps getting attacked."
