POLITICS
Black Queer Activist Eyes Brooklyn Council Seat
Chi Ossé aims to replace term-limited lawmaker Robert Cornegy in District 36
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
The police murder of
George Floyd sparked
national protests, and
for many City Council
candidates, the incident inspired
their campaign run.
That was the case for Chi Ossé,
a Black and queer activist running
for a seat in District 36, which is
currently occupied by term-limited
city lawmaker Robert Cornegy and
includes Bedford Stuyvesant and
northern Crown Heights. Ossé, a
third-generation Brooklynite, is no
stranger to the district: He grew up
in Crown Heights and is of Haitian
heritage.
“As an individual that understood
that protest could not be our
only strategy in order to achieve
change in this country, I decided
to take that leap of faith and jump
into the City Council race,” Ossé
told Gay City News.
At just 22 years of age, Ossé is
one of many young political hopefuls
clamoring for city offi ce. He
said coming from a marginalized
background underscores the mission
of his campaign.
“I think being a Black queer
man is something that makes you
political in and of itself,” he said.
“I understand what needs to be
changed in this city because I’ve
experienced the systemic oppression
that exists.”
Before jumping into the race,
Ossé started as a changemaker on
the ground.
After the death of Floyd, Ossé
became a leader with the Warriors
in the Garden, a collective of artists
dedicated to non-violent protests.
The activist group has been pivotal
in organizing marches as well as
publishing educational content on
the impact of racism in the country.
Last December, more than 60
City Council candidates signed his
petition to fully fund CUNY, and
he advocated for the city to use
social workers instead of police to
respond to crises.
Ossé is one of a dozen candidates
who have fi led to run in a crowded
race for the Brooklyn seat. While
Chi Ossé is placing an emphasis on housing and healthcare in his run for New York City Council.
he did not name any names, Ossé
noted that many other local political
campaigns run with “dirty
money,” or what he describes as
politicians taking funds from donors
and allowing that to direct
their policies. Ossé specifi cally denounced
those who accept donations
from the fossil fuel and real
estate industries.
“We need to stay true to our ideals
and values as well as the interest
of our communities,” he explained.
To date, Ossé has raised $53,116
for his 2021 campaign, according
to the New York City Campaign Finance
Board.
Should he get elected, Ossé is
hoping to follow through on putting
police reform into action —
but the details are not quite set
REUTERS/BRYAN R SMITH
in stone yet. During the interview,
Ossé described the police budget
as “bloated” and called for a reduction
in the budget, but contrary to
many other candidates, he opted
against providing a specifi c dollar
amount because he said “it will
have to depend on how much we’ll
be able to take.”
According to Ossé’s campaign
site, he supports the creation an
independent auditing body that
would collect data on dispatches
and allow for greater transparency
surrounding spending.
“A big part of my platform is this
philosophy of the three Rs: reimagine,
reinvest, and renew,” Ossé
said.
He added, “We need to reimagine
what these imploded and ineffi
cient agencies in our city are
doing and reallocate funds from
those agencies and reinvest back
into our communities and the individuals
that are actually doing
the work.”
Expanding health equity and
providing affordable housing are
among the top priorities of Ossé’s
campaign — and those issues
are aligned with a recent New
Pride Agenda survey showing that
health and housing are two of the
most prominent issues for many
LGBTQ voters in New York City.
To bolster underprivileged groups,
Ossé recommends boosting funds
for the Ali Forney Center, which
provides shelter and services to
LGBTQ youth, and other local
groups.
“Housing is healthcare right
now,” Ossé said. “Many of our
queer and trans youth are houseless,
and that’s the responsibility
of our city councilmembers.”
On other top issues facing
queer New Yorkers, Ossé fully
supports the decriminalization
of sex work, a movement that is
steadily gaining momentum in
New York.
“It will provide more safety,”
Ossé said. “I think that it needs
to become a norm within the city
so that we can protect our trans
women of color and provide them
with the worker’s rights that they
deserve.”
Plus, he is advocating for more
inclusive education in schools —
including queer education — to
better inform and equip students
for the future.
“Whether it’s Black history,
whether it’s American history, an
impactful component to our history
is queer history, especially here
in New York City,” he said.
Ultimately, Ossé doubled down
on the importance of including
the city’s most disenfranchised
populations on the front lines of
policy.
“I know what needs to be done
in order to fi ght, not only for marginalized
people but for all people,”
he said. “We need to fi ght for
those that are on the fringes the
most.”
JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 10, 2 10 021 | GayCityNews.com
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