New York Metropolis Council member Chi Ossé speaks at a rally in Brooklyn on Might 24, 2025.
(Madison Swart / Hans Lucas / AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
Chi Ossé is the primary Gen Z member of the New York Metropolis Council and one of many youngest elected officers within the nation. Over the previous few years, Ossé, 27, who represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and elements of Crown Heights, has risen to prominence because of his catchy and charismatic presence on social media. Utilizing a string of viral movies, Ossé was in a position to rally nationwide assist for his FARE Act laws, which banned rental dealer charges in New York Metropolis. He has additionally produced a series referred to as “Why Shit Not Working,” which highlights systemic failures in metropolis governance. In early 2025, Ossé grew to become some of the notable backers of Zohran Mamdani’s profitable Democratic mayoral major candidacy.
I spoke to Ossé on Tuesday about Mamdani’s victory, the November mayoral election, his social media technique, the Democratic Celebration, and extra. The interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
—Andrew Sciallo
Andrew Sciallo: Inform me in regards to the generational cut up inside the Democratic Celebration proper now.
Chi Ossé: We’re seeing a shift in priorities for the up-and-coming era of Individuals. We see that in how we talk. It’s in what we need to see change on this nation. That’s what we’re experiencing as a era who don’t have the freedom and privileges of, at the very least most of us, placing a down cost on a mortgage. I believe we’re experiencing plenty of the real-time results of late-stage capitalism, of a stage of complacency that exists inside our authorities, not solely by the Republicans, [but] by a few of our older Democratic leaders as nicely.
Quite a lot of younger persons are tuning in. They’re pissed about what’s taking place in Gaza, and they’re pissed about their scholar mortgage debt. They’re pissed in regards to the economic system, and are both leaving the celebration or voting for people that they see themselves in, like Zohran Mamdani, like AOC, like extra progressives which were coming into our celebration for years up till this level.
AS: I additionally needed to get your response to Kirsten Gillibrand and Hakeem Jeffries’ recent comments about Mamdani. [Gillibrand was widely denounced for falsely claiming that Mamdani had endorsed “global jihad.”] You lately posted on Instagram calling for Gillibrand to be primaried.
CO: Yeah, she ought to resign. I don’t suppose that she is going to. It’s very upsetting, however unsurprising. I imply, her feedback had been simply racist and false. The rise of [Islamophobic] rhetoric after Zohran’s win is disgusting, and the truth that it’s taking place from a New York Democrat is gross. She’s type of been a do-nothing Democrat for some years now, solely engaged on behalf of her donors, whether or not it’s AIPAC or crypto. So it’s unsurprising, however nonetheless very disappointing.
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Quite a lot of our institution Democrats do and say extra about progressives and folk who’re attempting to enter this celebration with new and contemporary concepts than they do towards Trump and Republicans. I believe it speaks to the truth that, you recognize, the one celebration that basically does exist on this nation is the celebration of oligarchs, proper? We see them [owning] each Democrats and Republicans, and we actually see the pushback to insurgents like Zohran or AOC as a mirrored image of how a lot energy these oligarchs don’t need to hand over, each with the assistance of Republicans and Democrats.
AS: How do you and Zohran plan to heal this rising divide between Arab and Jewish New Yorkers?
CO: I don’t know if I understand how we remedy the problems within the Center East, however what I’ll say is that, you recognize, Jewish people and Muslim people aren’t a monolith, proper? And Zohran obtained the second-most quantity of assist amongst Jewish New Yorkers this previous major. Quite a lot of younger persons are simply getting extra concerned and engaged in what is occurring inside our nation and inside our world, and I consider we’ll begin to see shifts inside that dynamic as we develop as an citizens.
AS: What do you consider the celebration’s place proper now on trans rights? I’m questioning what the required steps are for maintaining trans New Yorkers secure from being scapegoated and pawns in a political soccer, like we saw in the course of the 2024 election.
CO: I believe some Democrats have been doing a worse job than others. I don’t consider that we should always flip our backs on the trans neighborhood in any manner, form, or type. I’ve been very proud to sponsor laws that has elevated trans healthcare and entry to trans healthcare for our trans siblings right here within the metropolis. I’ve advocated for funding, and I’ve gained it inside the metropolis price range alongside members of my LGBTQ caucus.
I do suppose plenty of Democrats are attempting to show their again on trans folks, which I believe is disgusting. We noticed that after the November election. The true 1 % of the inhabitants we must be involved about aren’t trans folks however the billionaires and those that are hoarding wealth, and who’re accountable for the financial inequality that we’re all experiencing inside this nation.
AS: I needed to ask in regards to the FARE Act. What was the catalyst for that laws, and did you count on it to take off the way in which that it did?
CO: I used to be on the lookout for housing myself, and simply coping with this unfair system, like being compelled to pay a dealer price, which made me go to the drafting board. I used to be like, why are all of us simply accepting this as a actuality, and paying this dealer whom we’ve by no means employed, or generally by no means even met, to maneuver into an condo that we’re already spending a lot cash on? I believe this was my second 12 months in workplace. I used to be like, let me see if I can do one thing about this. This can be a very distinctive challenge to New Yorkers, however one which involves the highest of individuals’s minds.
I received plenty of pushback from the true property business. It actually gave me a better expertise to see how prevalent the true property foyer is inside New York State and New York Metropolis authorities, and the way a lot they strain native elected officers, state elected officers. It was really disgusting, however as somebody who’s youthful, who makes use of social media, I didn’t see anybody inside politics utilizing social media in a inventive solution to push that agenda. And I noticed early on that video was the medium of right now, and I invested closely in getting good modifying to push this invoice ahead, a lot in order that it grew to become the primary widespread challenge that people needed to see the Metropolis Council go.
Everybody was speaking about it, and I knew it could pop off due to how many individuals have complained about brokers in my life. And I generally suppose one of the best politics is when the reply is true there, proper? Whenever you hearken to what the complaints are out of your group chat, from your loved ones, from your pals, out of your neighbors, after which attempt to discover a answer round it. And as soon as we launched it, and arranged round it, and put collectively an enormous coalition behind it, it popped off. And with the assist of the general public, we had been in a position to go it final 12 months.
AS: Inform me about the way you and Zohran Mamdani had been in a position to forge this distinctive partnership in the course of the mayoral major.
CO: I met Zohran perhaps 4 years in the past, after I first received elected. I believe we’re each very foolish folks. So we hit it off in a short time. It was July of final 12 months when he advised me that he was excited about operating for workplace. And I put him in contact with a pastor inside my district, gave him some recommendation about video filming and modifying, and started [advising] him as he was operating his race. When he posted his first marketing campaign video on Instagram, I went on his TikTok and didn’t see that it was posted there. I used to be like, “You must publish it on TikTok!”
I believe he took plenty of inspiration from how we launched our FARE Act marketing campaign when it comes to short-form media being a way to push politics. I used to be undoubtedly joyful to seek the advice of with him and to provide him recommendation and simply needed so as to add as a lot supplemental assist, you recognize, working together with his workforce to focus on completely different endorsements that he obtained, particularly with John Liu, and attempting to get his mission out in as many languages as potential. And dealing with the Working Households Celebration very intently on constructing that narrative of why we shouldn’t rank Cuomo, which I do consider was very profitable.
We put collectively one of many final GOTV rallies on Sunday, and I cohosted it with the Working Households Celebration. We received Tish James on stage to check Zohran to Barack Obama when it comes to the vitality and the charisma that he was bringing to the race. And having these phrases mentioned about him by Tish James inside Crown Heights was one thing I believe that helped on this race.
AS: What do you say to critics who declare Zohran is missing assist amongst Black New Yorkers?
CO: Cuomo gained the Black vote. [But] I really consider that as a democratic socialist operating on a citywide stage, Zohran made plenty of inroads. His greatest voter group, which I don’t suppose is talked about sufficient, was youthful Black voters. And the truth that he nonetheless made a dent inside Black assist, even when it was not nearly all of assist, means he nonetheless ran a really profitable marketing campaign and made some inroads and can proceed to take action.
AS: Discuss a bit bit about your relationship with Mayor Eric Adams, who’s operating towards Mamdani in November.
CO: He’s a really power-hungry, egotistical man, and doesn’t consider in authorities collaboration. I attempted to have interaction with him a number of occasions after I was first in workplace, however we simply had plenty of disagreements when it comes to how authorities ought to run. I believe it ought to run nicely. I believe he has completely different concepts.
He’s a really comical particular person. I don’t suppose Donald Trump and Eric Adams ought to have gotten into politics—they’d have been completely superb in the event that they had been on actuality TV. I by no means need him to be able of energy once more.
This can be a man who received elected off the again of the wealthy. And over the previous 4 years, he’s needed to perform their bidding, elevating rents in each single 12 months that he’s been in workplace, reducing from psychological well being companies, reducing from a plethora of various companies with an austerity price range each single 12 months that the council needed to combat to revive funding for each single time. And that sort of management in New York Metropolis is so uncreative. It doesn’t create hope, to not point out, you recognize, the bribery expenses that he obtained and now cozying as much as Donald Trump. I imply, the checklist goes on. He’s not been defending New York, he’s been defending himself.
AS: What do you say to people who find themselves critics of a few of these younger leaders that are actually arising, like your self and Mamdani, who say that you simply guys are too younger, that you simply’re too inexperienced?
CO: I handed essentially the most impactful invoice inside 4 years in workplace on the age of 26. The work speaks for itself. I believe plenty of the parents who say which are supporters of elected officers who’ve corruption expenses, who’re working for billionaires and millionaires, and I don’t take these claims significantly. I simply hold to the work.
AS: What’s the plan to achieve these skeptical voters for the final election?
CO: I do believe in Zohran. I believe he’s a wonderful communicator. I consider that his plan of financial populism, you recognize, goes to enchantment to plenty of voters. Lots of people didn’t know him, and plenty of older voters don’t vote for folks they don’t know. That’s why lots of people voted for Cuomo. However there wasn’t plenty of enthusiasm behind Cuomo. So, you recognize, I believe that reality plus who Zohran is, what he stands for, what a tremendous orator he’s, is actually going to get him previous the end line in November.
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AS: As we’ve seen an increase in political violence throughout the US. Is that this one thing that considerations you personally?
CO: It’s a really poisonous time proper now in politics. And, you recognize, I want plenty of our leaders, people from the Republican Celebration who’re appearing on it, you recognize, would calm the flames, but in addition, I want Democrats would talk about it extra. The very fact that there have been two Democrats who had been murdered a few weeks in the past, and it’s not being talked about, or it’s not like a major focus that’s being spoken about endangers all of us. I don’t concern for my life. I believe plenty of ladies, particularly ladies of shade, obtain a few of that, which is simply horrible. And I hope that extra leaders will begin to name that out.
AS: How essential is it to you to have a life exterior of politics?
CO: I’m a traditional particular person. So I simply attempt to take pleasure in my life. That’s how I keep balanced. I believe plenty of politicians don’t have lives exterior of politics, and that’s why they turn into a bit corrosive inside their line of labor, as a result of it’s all that they’ve. However I had a life earlier than this, and I nonetheless have a life now.
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