Mamdani stands by tenant official who previously called home ownership 'weapon of white supremacy'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to stand by his tenant advisor Cea Weaver on Tuesday, after she faced backlash over a years-old social media post that claimed homeownership is a "weapon of white supremacy." 

Mamdani appointed Weaver to lead his Office to Protect Tenants on Thursday, where she will be focused on protecting tenants against unsafe or horrible living conditions, according to the New York Post. 

Weaver made the controversial comment in 2019, where she blasted the ownership of all "private property" as racist against non-white people.

“Private property including and kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as ‘wealth building’ public policy,” Weaver allegedly wrote, according to a screenshot shared by conservative social media account Libs of TikTok.

Weaver also claimed in 2018 that "homeownership is racist/failed public policy," and said in a 2021 speech at a Democratic Socialists of America event that property ownership should be shifted toward a model of “shared equity” that changes the “relationship” that “especially white families” have to homeownership.

The comments prompted backlash from the Trump administration, including Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice Harmeet Dhillon, who warned New York City that her department would be monitoring Weaver.

"New York: Consider this your official notice from DOJ," she posted on X. "We will NOT tolerate discrimination based on skin color. It is ILLEGAL. [The DOJ Civil Rights] is paying very close attention." 

Mamdani told reporters Tuesday that he chose Weaver because of her background leading organizations that include Housing Justice for All and the New York State Tenant Bloc. 

“We made the decision to have Cea Weaver serve as our executive director for the mayor’s office to protect tenants, to build on the work that she has done to protect tenants across the city, and we were already seeing the results of that work,” he said. 

Weaver said in a statement to the New York Post through the mayor's office that her past statements were "regretful." 

“I’m proud to lead tenant protection efforts in the Mamdani administration,” she said. “Regretful comments from years ago do not change what has always been clear — my commitment to making housing affordable and equitable for New York’s renters. I will bring that focus to the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.