Chicago – January 07, 2025
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is defending Cea Weaver, his newly appointed executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, amid backlash over her past social media posts linking homeownership to white supremacy.
Weaver’s resurfaced messages included a 2017 tweet calling homeownership “a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as ‘wealth building public policy'” and calls to treat private property as a “collective good” while aiming to “impoverish the white middle class.” Critics, including former Mayor Eric Adams, labeled the remarks as showing “extreme privilege and total detachment from reality.”
On Wednesday, Mamdani praised Weaver’s record of advocating for tenants across New York City and state, without directly addressing the posts’ content. A mayoral spokesperson confirmed the administration knew of her past activity prior to the appointment.
Weaver described some posts as “regretful” and not reflective of her current views, emphasizing her focus on ensuring safe, affordable housing for all residents, renters and owners alike.
The controversy follows Mamdani’s recent acceptance of another official’s resignation over antisemitic posts, as Weaver takes a key role in his pledge to force negligent landlords to sell properties to the city.
