A man walked up to New York councilwoman Inna Vernikov during a TV interview and gave her an unsolicited peck on the cheek.
The kiss was caught on camera as Vernikov had been speaking to CBS reporter Hannah Kliger in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn when the stranger kissed her and then walked away smiling. Immediately after, the councilwoman reacted in shock, saying: "What the f***?"
Vernikov represents New York City’s 48th District and is the council’s minority whip, and Brighton Beach is one of the areas under her jurisdiction. Before getting elected in 2021, Vernikov was a local business owner and attorney. She was part of a wave of women who joined the council and created a female majority within the 51-member body.
Below a six-second clip Kliger shared of the incident on Twitter, Vernikov wrote: “Not the kind of love I’d expect from constituents!"
As of Friday, the New York City Police Department told Newsweek that Vernikov has not filed a report in regard to the incident. Meanwhile, many of Vernikov’s fellow council members disavowed the stranger’s actions.
"This is abhorrent and disgusting," New York City councilwoman Lynn Schulman of District 29 wrote on Twitter, adding that she was “standing with” Vernikov. "Hope the assailant is found. Sadly, this type of unacceptable behavior typically happens to women, even in 2023.”
Council Majority Leader Keith Powers called the incident “gross behavior,” while Bronx Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez wrote: “We can not let sexual assault become a normalized part of our public interactions.”
Many users online shared similar sentiments with one saying that Vernikov "had every right to punch [the stranger] in the throat," to which the councilwoman replied, "I was too caught off guard by the time I wanted to, he was gone."
The incident comes on the heels of New York City Mayor Eric Adams making some questionable public remarks on Wednesday, including calling women “eye candy.” While speaking to the press on his signing of an outdoor dining bill in the Bronx that allows for sidewalk cafes to remain open year-round, Mayor Adams said: “Bring your boo to a restaurant, you know, someone you’re trying to keep your marriage together. A little outdoors will help you."
“Come and try it, man,” Mayor Adams continued. “You’re looking to date, you may drive by, you may see eye candy sitting down somewhere, you may want to park and come and slip them your number. Hey, listen, come have fun, man. Outdoor dining is the way to go."
Constituents perceived his remarks as an encouragement of sexual harassment and catcalling, both of which have been an ongoing issue in New York City. Many women in the city have taken to a multitude of tactics such as modifying their wardrobes while outdoors, including fashion influencer Madison Wild.
In a TikTok video that reflects the lengths that women must go to in order to feel safe in public, Wild demonstrated to her followers how she dresses to avoid harassment. In the clip, the fashion influencer explained: “So, what we do is a lot of the time I will put, like, a big t-shirt over something like this or I put shorts under and then I just put them in my bag after.”
Even after doing all of that, Wild said she still feels “a little nervy” despite not wearing anything all that revealing. She concluded her video by saying, “Men are just scary, so stay safe.”
