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Breed’s ‘Chinese grandma’ says Farrell backers coerced her

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Mayor London Breed’s “Chinese grandmother,” Mrs. Wong, said that at a Chinatown banquet on Wednesday, she was coerced into wearing a Mark Farrell hat and tricked into posing with Breed’s opponent in a bid to make it appear she had switched sides.

Tow Kuk Wong, more widely known as “Mrs. Wong” is president of the California Friends of Tenants Caucus, which has over 500 members, according to the 86-year-old. A well-connected community leader, Wong has also mobilized large groups of Chinese volunteers for Breed’s events. Wong is frequently pictured alongside Breed at campaign events.

Her well-known image as a staunch Breed supporter makes any betrayal of the mayor a coveted win for other campaigns in a race in which Chinese votes hold significant importance.

On Wednesday, she prepared herself for a mid-autumn festival lunch at the Far East Cafe. Instead, she found herself at the wrong end of a “deception,” Wong told this reporter in Cantonese.

“They had confirmed with me it was just a meal,” Wong said, of the organizers of the luncheon. She recalled that Selena Chu from the Chinese American Democratic Club, which has endorsed Farrell, told her beforehand that Farrell would attend the event, but just to celebrate the mid-autumn festival, not for political publicity. 

Instead, it turned into an unpleasant ambush in the bathroom and a quick move to replace her orange San Jose Barracudas hat with a blue “Mark Farrell for Mayor” cap, according to Wong. Photos of her wearing the Farrell hat and subsequently posing next to Farrell were then posted online

Wong began the mid-day lunch eating and catching up with her old friends from the California Friends of Tenants Caucus. But at some point, Farrell supporters approached Wong, she said. 

“I was worried that I’d be asked to go on stage and take pictures in support of Farrell,” said Wong.

An elderly woman wearing a "Mark Farrell for Mayor" hat is smiling and waving at a crowded gathering. She is seated at a table with food.
Tow Kuk Wong tells Mission Local she had no idea that the hat she was wearing read ‘Mark Farrell for Mayor.’ After photos leaked onto the internet, she said she was so upset she could not fall asleep until 1 a.m.

To avoid this, Wong — who had surgery on both legs only weeks ago and has trouble walking — says she excused herself and retreated to the bathroom. She ultimately hid in the bathroom for more than 15 minutes, she said. Four women then followed her in, she said, and even more waited outside. One of them slapped on the door of the stall in which Wong sat. “I was pulling up my pants,” Wong said, when she saw a woman peering at her through the gap in the stall door. 



Source: missionlocal.org

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