A self-described Black, queer, college dropout, Chi Ossé was working freelance jobs in nightlife when the pandemic hit. By the summer he found himself leading some of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that took over the borough. From there, Ossé and several other engaged protestors formed Warriors In The Garden, a social justice collective. It didn’t take long—on Juneteenth 2020, to be precise—before Ossé announced his candidacy for New York City Council as a representative of District 36, which encompasses Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, where he grew up.

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