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Chi Ossé

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Chi Ossé
Ossé in 2026
NYC Council member Chi Ossé at a March 25, 2026 press conference.
Member of the New York City Council
from the 36th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2022
Preceded byRobert Cornegy
Parliamentary groupNew York City Socialists in Office
Personal details
BornChi Ajani Ossé
(1998-03-18) March 18, 1998 (age 28)
New York City, New York, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations
Democratic Socialists of America
Parent
EducationChapman University (attended)
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2022-02-11) (archive)

Chi Ajani Ossé (/tʃi oʊˈseɪ/ CHEE oh-SAY,[1] born March 18, 1998)[2] is an American politician and activist from New York City who serves as a member of the New York City Council for the 36th district, based largely in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant, and some of northern Crown Heights.

Early life and education

[edit]

Ossé was born and raised to a Haitian-American family in Brooklyn, where his family has lived for three generations.[3] His father, hip hop attorney and journalist Reggie Ossé, known professionally as Combat Jack, died from cancer in 2017, when Ossé was 19.[4] His mother, Akim Vann, is the daughter of Grammy award-winning record producer and songwriter Teddy Vann, whose parents immigrated to New York from Hong Kong and the Caribbean.[2] He was raised Nichiren Buddhist.[5]

Ossé attended P.S. 321 in Park Slope for elementary school. [6] He graduated from Friends Seminary in 2016 and attended Chapman University in Orange, California, but dropped out following his father's death in 2017.[7][2]

Career

[edit]

Ossé worked for several years in the entertainment industry as a promoter.[7] In May 2020, amid nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd, Ossé became a prominent Black Lives Matter organizer and co-founded the activist collective "Warriors in the Garden".[8] According to public statements, Ossé joined the Democratic Socialists of America in 2020 but left shortly after as he felt his views and those of the organization's did not align.[9] Ossé rejoined the New York City chapter in the summer of 2025, following Zohran Mamdani's victory in the 2025 New York City Democratic mayoral primary.[10]

Ossé rejected an offer to serve as a delegate for Joe Biden at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, but ultimately elected to attend the event following the withdrawal of Biden, being granted a credential as one of approximately 200 influencers at the DNC.[11]

2021 City Council campaign

[edit]

On Juneteenth 2020, Ossé announced his 2021 campaign to succeed term-limited Councilman Robert Cornegy in the 36th district of the New York City Council.[12] Ossé, who acknowledged that he knew little about city government before the protests of spring 2020, cited police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement as the impetus for his campaign, and charged that the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio had not done enough to reshape policing in the city.[13][14]

With endorsements from the Working Families Party and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Courage to Change PAC, Ossé was seen as the furthest-left candidate in a field that also included district leader Henry Butler, local political operative Tahirah Moore, and pastor Robert Waterman.[15][16] His campaign also found an unusual niche due to Ossé's youth and personal style, with many non-political publications interviewing Ossé and running profiles of his campaign.[17][18][19]

On election night (June 22, 2021), Ossé led the field with 37 percent of the vote; when absentee ballots and ranked-choice votes were counted, he defeated Butler 57-43%.[20] His victory, and the size of his margin, was seen as a considerable upset, given his opponents' more traditional political backgrounds and endorsements.[21] Ossé ran unopposed in the November general election, becoming the council's youngest ever member.[22][23]

2025 election

[edit]

Ossé retained his City Council seat in the 2025 election.[24]

Actions and policy stances as Councilmember

[edit]

Ossé filed to run in New York's 8th congressional district against Hakeem Jeffries in November 2025, but did not win the endorsement of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America.[25][26] Following the result, Ossé stated he would not run.[27]

In April 2026, while protesting the eviction of one of his constituents, Ossé was arrested by the NYPD.[28] The incident helped spur Mayor Zohran Mamdani to launch a mayoral office dedicated to preventing deed theft, a type of fraud particularly rife in historically Black areas of New York City, such as Ossé's district.[29]

Personal life

[edit]

Ossé's father was Reginald Ossé, a Haitian-American hip hop music attorney, executive, journalist, editor and podcaster. His mother, Akim Vann, owns and operates The Bakery on Bergen, a small business in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. His grandfather was Teddy Vann, a music producer who grew up in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood and won a Grammy working with his longtime protege Luther Vandross.[30]

Ossé is openly queer.[3] He lives in Crown Heights, and is a practicing Nichiren Buddhist.[5] He is also a competitive powerlifter.[31]

Electoral history

[edit]

2025

[edit]
2025 New York City Council Democratic primary, District 36[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chi Ossé (incumbent) 23,815 78.3
Democratic Reginald Swiney 6,378 21.0
Write-in 236 0.8
Total votes 30,429 100.0
2025 New York City Council election, District 36[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chi Ossé (incumbent) 44,256 99.4
Write-in 268 0.6
Total votes 44,524 100.0
Democratic hold

2023

[edit]
2023 New York City Council election, District 36[34]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chi Ossé 7,132 72.3
Working Families Chi Ossé 2,603 26.4
Total Chi Ossé (incumbent) 9,735 98.8
Write-in 123 1.2
Total votes 9,858 100.0
Democratic hold

2021

[edit]
2021 New York City Council Democratic primary, District 36[35]
Party Candidate Maximum
round		 Maximum
votes		 Share in
maximum
round		 Maximum votes
  First round votes   Transfer votes
Democratic Chi Ossé 4 11,149 57.0%
​​
Democratic Henry L. Butler 4 8,402 43.0%
​​
Democratic Tahirah A. Moore 3 6,196 28.6%
​​
Democratic Robert Waterman 2 3,281 14.1%
​​
Democratic Reginald Swiney 2 628 2.7%
​​
Write-In 1 86 0.4%
​​
2021 New York City Council election, District 36[36]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chi Ossé 18,999 99.3
Write-in 126 0.7
Total votes 19,125 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ @OsseChi (January 12, 2022). "My name is pronounced: 'CHEE OH SAY'..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 3 Maline, Elizabeth (July 11, 2022). "Chi Ossé, New York City's youngest council member, is figuring it out as he goes". City and State. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Hosking, Taylor (June 14, 2021). "Now List 2021: Chi Ossé Is the Queer, Gen-Z Activist Shaking Up Brooklyn Local Politics". Them. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  4. ↑ Gonik, Michael (July 12, 2021). "Combat Jack's Son Chi Ossé Wins New York City Council Primary Race". Okayplayer. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Ossé, Chi [@OsseChi] (May 2, 2021). "As a lifelong practicing Nichiren Buddhist, it is always an honor to be invited into a religious space different than mine. Thank you to the folks at Mount Lebanon for having me this morning ❤️It was also nice to see my Congressman @RepJeffries!" (Tweet). Retrieved July 12, 2021 – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Lander, Brad [@brad.lander]; (June 18, 2026). "I've been working to build & preserve affordable housing for the last 30 years". Retrieved June 19, 2026 – via Instagram.
  7. 1 2 Quinn, Anna (June 11, 2021). "NYC Council District 36 Race: Chi Ossé Seeks Brooklyn Seat". Patch. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  8. ↑ Ransom, Jan; Correal, Annie (June 11, 2020). "How the New York Protest Leaders Are Taking On the Establishment". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  9. ↑ Ossé, Chi [@OsseChi] (Oct 9, 2023). "I believe I left in November of 2020. I'm on the left side of the political spectrum and back labor power. Turned out I wasn't aligned with the organization itself so I left very shortly after signing up. I have no bad blood with the organization or their endorsed electeds" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  10. ↑ Sommerfeldt, Chris (2025-10-14). "Chi Osse becomes latest NYC Council member to join Democratic Socialists of America". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  11. ↑ McHugh, Calder (August 22, 2024). "The Influencers Stanning Kamala — And Infuriating the Press Along the Way". Politico. Retrieved November 21, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ↑ Mahadevan, Tara (June 20, 2020). "Combat Jack's Son is Running for Public Office in New York City". Complex. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  13. ↑ Verde, Ben (July 10, 2020). "22-Year-Old Protest Leader Eyes Bed-Stuy Council Seat". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ Tejan Thomas Jr., Saidu (October 14, 2020). "Is It Too Revolutionary?". Resistance. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Endorsements for Chi Ossé 2021". Chi Ossé for City Council. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  16. ↑ Richling, Billy (March 17, 2021). "Who's Up, Who's Down? Brooklyn Council Election Notes from the Latest Financial Disclosures". Bkylner. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ Blacksher, Devine (April 2, 2021). "The Third-Generation Brooklynite Running for City Council – Meet Chi Ossé". The Cut. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  18. ↑ Herh, Kala (June 16, 2021). "Chi Ossé Is the Future of Brooklyn's 36th District". V Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  19. ↑ Pauly, Alexandra (July 22, 2020). "Styling a Revolution: How Chi Ossé and Brandon Tan Are Using Fashion to Win City Council". HypeBae. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  20. ↑ Quinn, Anna (July 6, 2021). "Chi Ossé Wins Brooklyn District 36 City Council Race". Patch. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  21. ↑ Coltin, Jeff (July 7, 2021). "New York City's most surprising primary results". City & State. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  22. ↑ "2021 Primary Official Ranked Choice Rounds, DEM Council Member 36th Council District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  23. ↑ Maline, Elizabeth (2022-07-11). "Chi Ossé, New York City's youngest council member, is figuring it out as he goes". City & State NY. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  24. ↑ "Statement and Return Report for Certification, General Election 2025 - 11/04/2025, Kings County - All Parties and Independent Bodies, Member of the City Council, 36th Council District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. 1 December 2025.
  25. ↑ Otterbein, Holly; Solender, Andrew (2025-11-17). "Chi Ossé files paperwork to challenge Hakeem Jeffries from the left". Axios. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  26. ↑ Coltin, Jeff; Ngo, Emily; Reisman, Nick (November 20, 2025). "Mamdani: No way, Ossé". POLITICO.
  27. ↑ @C_Sommerfeldt (November 23, 2025). "Asked Osse if he's still going to run despite this vote..." (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  28. ↑ Maldonado, Samantha (2026-04-22). "Council Member Arrested at Eviction Protest at Disputed Brooklyn Brownstone". THE CITY - NYC News. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  29. ↑ Maldonado, Samantha (2026-04-24). "Mamdani Launches Deed Theft Prevention Office With Appointment of Activist Attorney". THE CITY - NYC News. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  30. ↑ McHugh, Calder (2022-08-08). "A Party Promoter, an Activist and a City Councilman by 23, Chi Ossé Isn't Done Yet". Politico.
  31. ↑ Anbouba, Margaux (April 29, 2026). "Chi Ossé Is Powerlifting His Way Through Politics". Vogue.
  32. ↑ "DEM Council Member 36th Council District". Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. July 22, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  33. ↑ "00301100036Kings Member of the City Council 36th Council District Recap.pdf" (PDF). Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. December 2, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  34. ↑ "00301600036Kings Member of the City Council 36th Council District Recap.pdf" (PDF). Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. December 5, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  35. ↑ "DEM Council Member 36th Council District". Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  36. ↑ "00300700036Kings Member of the City Council 36th Council District Recap.pdf" (PDF). Vote NYC. New York City Board of Elections. November 30, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
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