Watch Police Throw City Councilmember To Ground At Protest

A New York City councilman aligned with Mayor Zohran Mamdani was taken into custody Wednesday after an incident tied to an attempted eviction in Brooklyn.

Councilman Chi Ossé, a Democrat representing parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, joined a group of activists who tried to stop the removal of resident Carmella Charrington from a property. Supporters argued that Charrington had been wronged through what they described as “deed theft,” a form of fraud in which property ownership is illegally transferred using falsified documents or identities.

According to reporting, tensions escalated when Ossé pushed past New York Police Department officers positioned at the scene. Video circulating online appears to show officers forcing him to the ground as they moved to arrest him. The confrontation drew a reaction from demonstrators nearby, who shouted at police during the incident.

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Councilmember @OsseChi was arrested a bit ago while attending a protest against an eviction in Bedstuy.

NYPD officers can be seen tackling him to the ground in this video posted on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/1gRG2a1xUS

— Chris Sommerfeldt (@C_Sommerfeldt) April 22, 2026

A clip shared on Ossé’s social media account highlighted his arrest but did not include the moment he moved through the police line. In a later update, Ossé said he had been released and was seeking medical evaluation for injuries he said occurred during what he described as a violent arrest. He also noted that several other individuals connected to the protest remained in custody and called for their release.

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Council Member Chi Ossé was just arrested while defending his constituent, Carmella Charrington, from eviction. This is the result of deed theft and the ongoing displacement of Black homeowners in Bed-Stuy. Our office is closely monitoring this situation and will provide updates… pic.twitter.com/MsLF97Tkju

— Chi Ossé (@OsseChi) April 22, 2026

Authorities, however, disputed the claim at the center of the protest. A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James said a review found no evidence that Charrington had been the victim of deed theft. Instead, officials determined that the property had been legally sold in 2024 by a conservator acting on behalf of Charrington’s father to a company identified as 227 Group.