Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé released after deed theft protest arrest
Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé was released after his arrest during a deed theft eviction protest, drawing attention to housing injustice in New York City. The post Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé released after deed theft protest arrest appeared first on The Haitian Times.
Black News 
NEW YORK — Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé was released from police custody Wednesday after officers arrested him during a protest tied to an alleged deed theft eviction in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Video circulating online shows officers taking Ossé, a Haitian American representing District 36, into custody as demonstrators gathered to oppose the eviction of a homeowner involved in a property dispute.
Following his release, Ossé said he was injured during the arrest and plans to file a complaint against the officers involved. He also called for a citywide moratorium on deed theft-related cases, a demand he first launched in February.
“I have a concussion from the NYPD shoving me into the pavement, but I believe I will be okay,” Ossé also said via Instagram after his release.
Wednesday’s arrest happened during an attempted eviction of Carmella Charrington from 212 Jefferson Avenue, a brownstone estimated at nearly $2 million that has been in her family for generations. Police said officers responded after marshals reported they could not carry out a court-ordered eviction due to protesters blocking access. Authorities issued warnings, then made multiple arrests on obstruction of governmental administration and disorderly conduct charges.
Ossé was held at the 79th Precinct before his release later that day.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the arrest on X, saying he was “grateful” Ossé had been released and describing him as a partner in efforts to make New York City more affordable. He said he was in touch with the police commissioner about the nature of the arrest.
Deed theft activism
The viral confrontation has intensified ongoing debates about deed theft — the illegal transfer of property ownership without a homeowner’s knowledge — and its impact on Black homeowners in neighborhoods facing rapid gentrification.
“Putting an end to gentrification here in New York City — enough is enough,” he also said after he was released.
Ossé said he will continue pushing for stronger protections for homeowners.
In February, the council member and a group called The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft launched a campaign to stop deed theft around the city. In a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Ossé said the city has seen 3,500 deed theft-related complaints in the City between 2013 and 2024 — with the cases predominantly impacting Black and Brown homeowners. He asked the governor to put a moratorium on evictions to allow homeowners time to work through the cases involving suspected deed theft and mortgage fraud.
“Deed theft is one of the most pervasive and least discussed housing crises in New York,” Ossé said. “No one should be forced out while the courts are still determining whether a home was stolen.
“Homeownership cannot be left out of the debate over housing justice in this city,” he added. “Ending deed theft as we know it is how we will protect generational wealth, stabilize communities, and deliver real housing justice for New Yorkers.”
The post Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé released after deed theft protest arrest appeared first on The Haitian Times.
