Chi Osse

Chi Osse was born in Brooklyn, New York. His professional experience includes being a freelance worker. Osse has been affiliated with Warriors in the Garden, Collective Fare, Bed-Stuy Strong, Churches United for Fair Housing, Working Families Party, and Citizen Action.[1]

Chi Osse did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Chi Osse did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

Chi Osse did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Chi Ossé is an activist, third-generation Brooklynite, and prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement. His lived experience growing up in Brooklyn was the tense dichotomy between a nourishing upbringing in a loving community, and the daily crush of individual and systemic bigotry.

In the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Ossé co-founded the activist collective Warriors in the Garden, and led hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in the marches and rallies — the collective call for Black liberation.

Culture is a concept central to Ossé’s worldview. He has worked for years in New York’s gig entertainment gig economy, and his father, Reggie Ossé, professionally known as Combat Jack, was a hip-hop music attorney. But the “culture scene” is only a small slice of culture.

Culture is our clothes and food and language and history — and woven into the fabric of American culture are inequality, injustice, and racism.

Ossé is called to politics for its potential to combine the institutional power of government with the tidal strength of movements to enact policy and heal our culture. Diversity is our strength, and Chi Ossé is devoted to diversity’s bravest manifestation: democracy.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We must reimagine the old systems that have lost their utility or failed us, devising improvements and, where necessary, developing new institutions entirely.We must Reinvest our resources from inefficient and ineffective uses and into our schools, parks, and community development programs.We must renew the relationships between government and citizen, between institutions and community, as those of mutual respect and shared prosperity.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable housing. Our district is attractive to people from all over, thanks to our rich culture, delicious foods, beautiful streets and, of course, incredible people. An influx of people, however, paired with the greed of many large landlords and developers, is squeezing our residents. I believe it is the responsibility of the City Council to address affordable housing.

Education. Our schools are underfunded and segregated and the outcomes for students are in dire need of improvement. I am committed to education equity and excellence, through fully funding our schools, from pre-K to a college education at CUNY. We will incentivize more teachers into the workforce, bring more counselors into our schools, expand co-curricular workshops (including pushing for a high pay ceiling for small CBOs) and give the rising generation the recognition it deserves: as a top priority.

Sanitation. Our Sanitation Department was severely defunded and our rat problem has exploded. In office, I commit to clean streets and a fully funded Department of Sanitation that resembles the 2019 budget or higher. Clean streets in Central Brooklyn really means clean and rodent free.

Public safety. Too often, the police fail to keep us safe and abuse Black and brown New Yorkers. I believe that for the jobs police are necessary for, they should be adequately trained and supported. For the jobs they are not necessary for, the city must fund new institutions, such as mental health professional

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

I see the New York City Council as unique among legislatures. It serves a constituency whose size rivals many states, but its members live full-time in their own houses. They do not leave for half the year to govern in some far-off capital, because New York City is its own capital. Members of our Council take the subway each day to represent their neighbors in City Hall. They govern right from home. This is the job of the Citizen Legislator.

The City Council is so integral to New York’s self-government because our annual budget of over 80 billion dollars is overseen and directed by people who grew up in our communities, know us and our struggles, and are committed to bringing us results.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her experience is that of countless New Yorkers — working for wages while watching our political system become ever more dysfunctional. She took to the streets to organize for Bernie Sanders and then, two years later, sought and won office herself. Real, working New Yorkers should be representing real, working New Yorkers in government. I look up to her for manifesting that.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The core responsibilities of someone elected to this office are to represent their constituents and effectively serve them. These two responsibilities go hand-in-hand, for even people who understand their neighborhood very well might not be an effective legislator, and someone with experience in government may not live in or understand the community they hope to serve. An individual raised in the community, in tune with the community, and having allies and organizers by their side, will be able to deliver results to their constituents with empathy and efficacy.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave a legacy of a city that has broken free of a rigid and restricting past. While we will always strive to continue improving, as perfection is a horizon to sail toward, not a destination, we must remember that we can pursue our goals with a new mindset entirely. Currently, our leadership assesses our economic and governance systems and haggle over the necessary tweaks to improve people’s lives. I have a great deal of respect for the leadership that really cares about us, but I believe their methods are outdated.

I hope to leave a legacy of an improved New York City and improved district 36: one with funded education and sanitation, a clean environment, and safe neighborhoods. But I also want to leave a new set of tools, a new way to reform institutions and build new ones. Our system doesn’t need tweaks; it demands overhaul. We can reimagine both the way we run our city and the way we change it. That’s why I’m running for the New York City Council.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Alchemist, for my inability to put it down.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Councilmember deference is a system in which decisions on projects which require full City Council approval are deferred to the councilmember who represents the district the project is planned for. It is a de-facto system that has persisted for many years, and means that very large projects that include tax dollars from the city coffers will be left up to individual councilmembers. This power is extremely important to be aware of because if a district elects a council member who is tied to developers and other corporate interests, they will have the power to welcome those organizations into the district, even if it is at the expense of the residents.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

The special role of the Citizen Legislator requires, first and foremost, that a representative is from the community. While there are benefits to having been immersed in government, there are also considerable drawbacks. These include a subconscious belief often developed by people who have spent much of their life in government that the institutions are themselves good for us. This belief holds that the job of members of our government is to make small adjustments to institutions in order to deliver results. An outsider to government is an insider to his or her community. They know what their community needs and are prepared to take those needs to the halls of power.

Non-profit workers, community organizers, and education leaders often prove to be the most effective and well-liked representatives, because they channel the needs of their communities, even when those needs include the reorienting or deconstructing of failed institutions.

In short, yes, there are benefits as well as significant drawbacks for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics. But it is certainly more important — and more beneficial — for holders of this office to have roots in their community, organizing experience, and a willingness to make changes to the system when their constituents need it.