This morning, a protest against a deed theft eviction in Bed-Stuy reached fever pitch when Councilman Chi Ossé was thrown to the ground and arrested.
A video posted by his team (see below) on Wednesday, April 22, shows NYPD officers pulling both Ossé and another protestor from the front stoop outside the home of Carmella Charrington on Jefferson Avenue, to the ground, before getting tossed in the back of a car and taken to the 79th district police station.
“For months, our office has pushed for an eviction moratorium for homeowners facing deed theft. These protections are the bare minimum, and families cannot wait any longer,” Ossé’s team wrote in a statement released shortly after his arrest. In another statement, Ossé’s office asked fellow protestors and constituents to post up outside the precinct on Tompkins Avenue and demand his release. As the councilman for the 36th District, Ossé represents Bed-Stuy and parts of northern Crown Heights, two neighborhoods acutely impacted by the development practice of “deed theft,” or illegally transferring property ownership without the owner’s consent, or even knowledge. Ossé noted how he learned of deed theft after his grandmother was made a victim, and how that familial connection fueled his advocacy. “Deed theft is one of the most cruel crimes committed in our city. It is abuse inflicted primarily on the seniors who built our communities,” Ossé said at the presser before the protest, according to Brooklyn Paper.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin called the clip of Ossé “concerning,” while Mayor Mamdani applauded the councilman’s resolve on the issue at a separate event on Wednesday morning.
Ossé was released at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon to a massive audience outside the precinct, where he addressed the crowd before seeking out medical attention.
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