New York City Councilman Chi Ossé was arrested during an anti-eviction protest in Brooklyn on April 22.
The demonstration took place outside a brownstone on Jefferson Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where law enforcement officers arrived early in the morning to enforce a court-ordered “eviction mental health warrant.”
Protesters gathered outside the home in support of Carmella Charrington and her family, who have been in a yearslong battle over ownership of the property.
Ossé, who represents the 36th district, was among those protesting. A video posted on social media shows the councilman being thrown to the ground by New York Police Department officers and handcuffed face down on the sidewalk while demonstrators were shouting. Ossé was arrested along with four other protesters.
According to a spokesperson for the NYPD, officers gave multiple verbal warnings to protesters to clear the entrance.
“Some began to disperse, those who did not were eventually arrested,” the spokesperson said.
Authorities said Ossé pushed past officers who were attempting to block him from approaching the front of the gate. Police also alleged that he physically resisted arrest, “appearing to flail his arms and hands to prevent officers from restraining him.”
“I was manhandled by three men,” Ossé said. “They slammed me against the concrete, I believe there was a knee against my back at some point.”
Upon his release, Ossé received a desk appearance ticket and was charged with obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct.
He also said some of the protesters arrested at the same time sustained injuries and remained in custody longer than he did.
His arrest quickly sparked reactions from city leaders. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the footage was concerning and that he would stay in touch with the police commissioner about the arrest.
“The council member is rightly passionate about tackling the scourge of deed theft,” Mamdani said.
The leaders of the City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian caucus said in a statement that they were “outraged” by the arrest and that he was protesting peacefully.
Protesters, including Ossé, said Charrington is a victim of deed theft, a practice where scammers take ownership of homes through fraud, often by forging homeowners’ signatures or tricking them into signing over deeds by promising to take care of financial concerns.
“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 said. “Not another Black homeowner should have their home stolen.”
However, Attorney General Letitia James said Charrington’s case was not an example of deed theft, but rather a property dispute involving competing claims of ownership.
“My office is leading the fight to keep New Yorkers in their homes, and we have been in contact with the resident of this home for over a year to offer guidance and advice on her legal battle,” James said in a statement.
As the battle over the property continues, Ossé’s arrest has brought more public attention to the broader issue of displacement and deed theft.
