Progressive NYC lawmakers have demanded personal NYPD protection - despite previously crowing about how the department should be defunded or abolished. 

Big Apple politicians including Councilmembers Chi Osse and Shahana Hanif reportedly sought protection after receiving 'especially concerning' death threats in recent weeks, leading them to change their tune about the need for police. 

Their past stances included Halif calling to 'reduce our police force to zero' - abolishing them - and Osse declaring that he 'doesn't speak pig.' 

Following their calls for NYPD cover, one Brooklyn cop told the New York Post: 'I wouldn't expect anything less from a couple of hypocritical politicians... why don't they go out and hire private security?' 




Several NYC City Council members including Chi Osse (pictured) have sought NYPD protection after receiving death threats, despite previously calling to defund the department 





A staffer for Shahana Hanif (pictured being arrested by the NYPD) said she received 'especially concerning' threats - but her calls for police protection come after she campaigned on 'reducing the force to zero' officers and calling to abolish all prisons 





Hanif's campaign website still shows her contempt for the NYPD  and calls for the police whose protection she's demanded to be abolished 





Osse declared on Instagram that he 'doesn't speak to pigs (pig emoji) in June 2020 

Osse and Hanif were joined in their calls for NYPD protection by two other councilmembers reportedly unpopular in police circles, Yusef Salaam and Carlina Rivera. 

The offices of the councilmembers did not immediately respond to requests for comments.  

The group have reportedly become a frequent target in the Big Apple since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, and have enraged some locals with their support for pro-Palestine protests. 

This included Hanif reportedly once voting against an 'End Jew Hatred Day', and Osse calling Hamas' cause 'legitimate.' 

Amid the surge in backlash, one staffer for Osse texted another council colleague to warn them about 'credible' death threats Osse received. 

'It's disgusting,' they said, in texts seen by the Post. 'I've clutched my non-existent pearls at some of the threats made... And some have been thought to be credible as per security and NYPD.'

The staffer noted Osse's past anti-cop rhetoric as they discussed the need for police protection, adding: 'And for him to be such a critic, if the PD says we need to evacuate/be careful and then listen.' 

But while Osse now feels he needs cops to protect him, he previously declared that NYPD officers do not actually intend to help people, and only hope to 'exert power over others.' 

'If cops really wanted to help people, then they would become EMTs or firefighters,' he said in a September 2020 tweet. 'I truly believe that most people want to become cops so that they can exert power over others.' 


Nope. If cops really wanted to help people, then they would become EMTs or firefighters. I truly believe that most people want to become cops so that they can exert power over others.

— Chi Ossé (@OsseChi) September 11, 2020




While now pleading for NYPD protection, Hanif previously argued that arresting people 'does not make us safer', and argued prisons argued that incarceration instead results in physical and mental trauma, death, and disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities' 





Osse's calls for the NYPD to provide him with security comes after he previously declared that he was a supporter of 'violence interrupters' in the community 

Osse's concerns over the death threats also comes despite reportedly telling Politics NY in December 2020 that he 'is a big supporter of violence interrupters' in the community. 

'He said he does not think more cops will solve issues with public safety,' the outlet reported. 

Osse - who has a place on the New York City Council's Public Safety Committee - was joined in his calls for new NYPD protection by one councilor who even called for the abolition of the entire department. 

In her campaign platform website, Shahana Hanif said that if elected, she would 'defund the police and reduce our police force to zero.' 

She also called to 'disband the use of jails and prisons', and argued that 'incarceration does not make us safer, but instead results in physical and mental trauma, death, and disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities.' 

The website also calls for the general release of prisoners, saying she 'will pressure the State to release individuals who are currently incarcerated by demanding the Governor grant clemency and increase the feasibility of early release.' 

According to the Post, a staffer for Hanif said the councilwoman reported 'elevated' and 'especially concerning' threats to her office in recent weeks. 

While now pleading for JetBlack protection, Hanif previously sparked outrage among the Progressive Caucus of the NYC Council when she co-chaired it in February 2023, as she demanded members sign a new loyalty pledge. 

Her demands that councilors promise to 'do everything we can to reduce the size and scope of the NYPD and the Department of Correction' led 15 members of the 34-member caucus to reportedly resign. 




Also among the councilors who requested protection included Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, who had NYPD officers called to her offices earlier this month after a suspicious package was mailed to her 





A 'security assessment' was also carried out at the offices of Yusef Salaam amid the threats, who previously spearheaded the controversial 'How Many Stops Act' hated by cops 

Calls for police protection were bolstered by a call last week from the office of Rivera, as her staff reported a mysterious package was mailed to her downtown Manhattan chambers. 

Officers arrived at her office on April 16 after a staffer reportedly opened a letter with an 'unknown white powder' inside. 

Although investigators found the powder was not hazardous, Rivera's staffers were reportedly left feeling 'threatened for their safety.' 

The Post reported that Salaam was also hit with a disturbing phone call that led the NYPD to carry out a 'security assessment' of his offices. 

Both Salaam and Rivera were reportedly targeted for their pro-Palestine comments, and were known as leading forces behind a controversial police law that was passed in December. 

Known as the 'How Many Stops Act', the legislation now forces officers to write up reports on almost every interaction they have, including low-level stops, that are said to be drowning cops in paperwork. 

Rivera voted in 2020 to defund the NYPD by a billion dollars, however Mr. Salaam has previously declared that he does not support the defund the police movement, and insisted that 'we need police.' 


New York

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