BEDFORD STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (PIX11) — New York City Council Member Chi Ossé was arrested during a protest in Brooklyn on Wednesday morning, according to police and video posted to social media.
The councilman, who represents Brooklyn’s 36th District, was arrested near 200 Jefferson Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where community members say they were rallying to prevent the eviction of Carmella Charrington.
Stay connected with community stories that matter: Visit our homepage
He was charged with obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct, the NYPD told PIX11 News. He will be issued a desk appearance ticket, police said.
(Credit: Office of Council Member Chi Ossé)
“Black displacement is happening right now in Bed-Stuy and Carmella is one of many Black homeowners battling deed theft in Brooklyn,” a statement from Ossé’s office read. A video of the arrest was posted to Ossé’s Instagram.
Police said Ossé was arrested after pushing past officers who were attempting to block him from standing in front of the gate.
An NYPD officer talked to Osse for a few seconds before trying to arrest him, but the councilman resisted, appearing to flail his arms and hands before he was taken into custody, according to the NYPD.
After being released from police custody, Ossé said four other people who were arrested alongside him remained in police custody, two of whom sustained injuries. City Council Speaker Julie Menin says Ossé also sustained injuries after being taken to the ground by officers.
Authorities confirmed four people were arrested in total, including Ossé. All were charged with obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct and were issued a desk appearance ticket, police say.
The New York City Sheriff’s Office and Marshals arrived at a residence earlier on Wednesday to issue an “eviction mental health warrant,” a spokesperson for the NYPD said. Officers became involved when a protester refused entry to law enforcement, according to the spokesperson.
“Multiple verbal commands [were] issued to disperse protesters. Some began to disperse. Those who did not were eventually arrested,” said the spokesperson.
The ‘deed theft’ case
Charrington has been in a two-year fight against brownstone developer 227 Group LLC to maintain the home’s deed. Her family says Charrington holds the power of attorney for her father’s estate and that he granted her the property.
The family has continued to own the home for 60 years, but a little over a year and a half ago, the developer tried to change the locks to the door, the family told PIX11.
Discover more stories shaping your neighborhood on our homepage
The father’s name is also on a deed for a property in Atlanta where he’s lived for the last few decades, according to the family. A legal back-and-forth between Georgia and New York authorities has resulted in the most recent challenges, including having Charrington in jail on Rikers Island for six days.
Police say Charrington had a court appearance on March 31, during which the judge asked for the location of her father who was under the legal protection of the state of Georgia. She had until April 16 to bring her father to court, but when she appeared at the follow-up hearing without him, she was arrested for civil contempt and taken to Rikers, authorities reported.
Ossé had been advocating for her release from Rikers, which was set for Wednesday. That was the same day the court threatened to evict the Charrington family.
Local NYC leaders respond
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the councilman’s arrest at an unrelated news conference on Wednesday.
“The council member is rightly passionate about tackling the scourge of deed theft,” Mamdani said. “I’ll follow up on the details of this arrest.”
Mamdani said he had not yet seen the video of Ossé’s arrest. When it was described to him, the mayor said it was “incredibly concerning to hear.”
Menin said she did see the video and found it “concerning.” She was at the police precinct after Ossé’s arrest.
“I’ve just seen the concerning videos of my colleague [Chi Osse] being aggressively pushed to the ground and arrested during a protest. We’re in touch with his office and the NYPD to ensure he is safe and quickly released,” she said.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.