NYC Landlords Blast Mamdani Official Who Calls Property Ownership ‘Weapon Of White Supremacy’

New York City landlords are pushing back against comments made by Cea Weaver, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s director of Tenant Protection, after resurfaced statements in which she described homeownership as tied to “white supremacy.”

Weaver, a Democratic Socialists of America operative, has drawn renewed scrutiny over past remarks criticizing traditional property ownership. In a 2021 video, she argued that for centuries property has been treated as “an individualized good and not as a collective good,” and suggested that a shift toward “shared equity” would impact “white families” and “some POC families who are homeowners.”

In a 2019 social media post, Weaver wrote that “homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as ‘wealth building’ public policy.” The comments have since circulated widely among housing advocates and property owners critical of the Mamdani administration’s approach.

Harmeet Dhillon, who serves as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, told Fox News that the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice is monitoring policies coming out of City Hall. She said the division is “on high alert” regarding what she described as a radical housing agenda that may conflict with constitutional and civil rights norms.

Local property owners argue Weaver’s framing ignores the diversity of small landlords in New York City. Jan Lee, a third-generation Chinatown property owner and board member of the Small Property Owners of New York, said the rhetoric unfairly paints all landlords with the same brush.

“I think when you start to lump all of us together and say that we’re all the bad thing that’s keeping people out of housing, that’s racist,” Lee said. He added that many immigrant families have relied on property ownership as a path to stability and generational progress.

Ann Korchak, board president of SPONY, called the comments “insulting” and said they disregard the role immigrant communities have played in building wealth through homeownership. She noted that many property owners in the city come from diverse backgrounds and pursued ownership as part of the American dream.

Weaver has recently spearheaded a series of “Rental Ripoff Hearings,” which are designed to gather tenant testimony and develop policy recommendations aimed at strengthening tenant protections. The mayor’s office has said the hearings will help shape future housing reforms.

Some in the real estate community contend the process lacks balance. Broker Adam Frisch said housing policy discussions should include landlords, tenants, developers, financiers, and economists to ensure a fuller understanding of the market.

The debate reflects broader tensions in New York City’s housing landscape, where rising rents, limited supply, and competing visions for reform continue to drive sharp political divides.