This morning’s arrest of Council Member Chi Ossé while standing in solidarity with a Brooklyn family facing eviction due to alleged deed theft, was completely uncalled for. Arresting an elected official for peacefully protesting a predatory housing practice sends a chilling message to housing advocates and community leaders across New York City. Deed theft is a longstanding, predatory form of fraud that disproportionately targets Black homeowners, stripping them of their primary source of generational wealth. 

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Our City should be a place where families are protected from fraud, and people are able to peacefully protest, not where those standing up against systemic displacement are led away in handcuffs. Law enforcement resources should be used pursuing those who engage in this fraudulent conduct. We stand with Council Member Ossé and the countless New Yorkers fighting to keep their homes. Any charges related to this peaceful protest must immediately be dismissed.

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