Councilman Chi Ossé Shows Us What’s Good in Brooklyn

Tank Top by Calvin Klein. Shorts by Altu.

Brooklyn’s own Chi Ossé stormed the politics game after 2020 shook him to the point that he had to do something. One election later, the 24-year-old college dropout is now the councilman for New York City’s 36th district, holding it down for the Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy neighborhoods he came up in. He recently took a beat out of his busy schedule to show us around.

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CHI’S OFFICE

“My district office is a little rundown, but it has character. That’s because of my wonderful staff. I have the best staff in the world and it feels like it’s my home away from home, as corny as that sounds. I feel like this is such a capitalist, corporate thing to say, and I promise I’m not meaning it in this way, but the people that I work with do feel like family. I feel like they would say the same too, because we have been through the wringer together, and it all happens within this space.”

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RESTORATION PLAZA

“Restoration Plaza is the heart in between Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights. It’s like our town square. It’s an amalgamation of the different Afrocentric cultures that exist in this district. In terms of me as a politician and me as a member of this community, it’s pretty much the center of my world, but it’s also a place that I’ve been interacting with throughout my years of being alive. It means a lot to this community, and to me as well.”

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Jacket, Pants, and Shoes by Prada.

CITY HALL

“It’s a different beast. It’s the grounds in which I bring my political being to the city stage, where I get my legislation done, where I go to rallies. It’s where I feel like my most political self. And it’s funny, because I never thought I would be a politician before a couple years ago, but I honestly feel comfortable walking through those halls, walking up those steps, bringing my community, my identity, my ideas to that place, unapologetically.”

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Jacket by Winnie. Shirt by Calvin Klein. Necklace and Earring Stylist’s Own.

HUNDRED GRAND BARBERSHOP

“The barbershop is such a significant pillar in the Black community. I met C the Surgeon during the pandemic. He’s kind of my therapist, and always hooks me up with the best fade. He’s the perfect remedy to a bad day. I wanted to highlight him and the space that he’s curated for himself. He has his own room within a barbershop, and he puts the most random shit on TV. Yesterday he was watching 90 Day Fiancé, and some days he’s watching a random part in a movie from the early 2000s. It’s always the most immaculate vibes in there.”

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Jacket by Winne Shirt by Calvin Klein. Necklace and Earring Stylist’s Own.

MISS HAZEL’S COMMUNITY GARDEN

“Miss Hazel is a neighbor of mine in Crown Heights, and she’s a West Indian woman who runs the most beautiful community garden on Bergen Street and Nostrand Avenue. When I jumped into the race, she was one of the first people I reached out to, to see if I could do some volunteer work there. It’s a great congregation spot in the neighborhood, and every time I see her, she always keeps it real with me. I was running against a political machine that led my district for like 40 years, and she said something along the lines of, ‘Don’t underestimate them. The machine has led this district for a long time, but you got this.’”

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Grooming: Walton Nunez

Fashion Assistant: Keanu Mohammed

Special Thanks: Ketia Jeune