NEW YORK — New York City Council Member Chi Ossé was arrested Wednesday while protesting a planned eviction of one of his constituents in Brooklyn, according to his staff and NYPD officials.
Ossé, a democratic socialist and close ally of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, was among a group of protesters seen in videos posted to social media trying to block access to a property in Bedford-Stuyvesant where city marshals were slated to execute an eviction.
“What are you doing?” Ossé can be heard asking in a video while approaching officers arresting a fellow demonstrator.
After a brief, unintelligible back-and-forth, an officer can be seen grabbing Ossé’s jacket collar and shoving him to the ground before placing him in cuffs.
“Motherfucker, that’s a Councilmember, what the fuck are you doing?” a protester can be heard shouting at the cops as they cuff him. “You’re going to be all over the national news tonight.”
An aide to Ossé confirmed to POLITICO on Wednesday morning that the Council member was being held at a police precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant after the arrest.
An NYPD spokesperson said Ossé received a desk appearance ticket and is being charged with one count of obstructing governmental administration and two counts of disorderly conduct. He was among several protesters arrested after ignoring verbal commands to disperse, the spokesperson said.
According to Ossé’s office, the planned eviction was the result of “deed theft,” a form of fraud in which ownership of a property is illegally transferred to a third party. According to the state attorney general’s office, deed theft complaints have skyrocketed in recent years.
In an unsigned statement after his arrest, Ossé’s office noted that he has called for a moratorium on evictions stemming from alleged deed thefts, which are seen as disproportionately impacting Black New Yorkers.
“These protections are the bare minimum, and families cannot wait any longer. Not another Black homeowner should have their home stolen,” the statement said. “Until deed theft ends, we will fight every single day.”
Mamdani, who’s close with Ossé and a longtime critic of the NYPD, said at an unrelated press conference Wednesday morning that he had not yet seen video of the arrest, but called it “incredibly concerning” after a reporter described it.
“That’s exactly something that we’re going to follow up on, not just on the nature of this arrest, but also what was the underlying issue that was being protested,” Mamdani said. “I know he’s been on the front lines of fighting deed theft. It’s especially prevalent in his Council district, and I appreciate, frankly, the efforts that he’s led in the past on ensuring that this is front of mind for all of us.”
Council Speaker Julie Menin wrote on X that she found the videos of her colleague’s arrest “concerning” and described him as having been “aggressively pushed” by the cops.
“He was standing up for one of his constituents facing deed theft,” the speaker wrote. “We’re in touch with his office and the NYPD to ensure he is safe and quickly released.
Gelila Negesse contributed to this report.