Cea Weaver, recently appointed by New York City’s Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani as director of the Office to Protect Tenants, has a history of promoting radical leftist ideas, including calls to seize private property, labeling homeownership as a tool of white supremacy, showing bias against white property owners, and advocating for the election of more communists.
Weaver, a prominent housing activist affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, was selected to head the tenant advocacy office. Archived posts from her now-deleted X account highlight her extreme views. On June 13, 2018, she posted, “Seize private property!” In August 2019, she stated, “Private property, including any kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy,” and called for reimagining property as a collective rather than individual asset.
In a resurfaced video clip, Weaver elaborated: “I think the reality is, is that for centuries we’ve really treated property as an individualist good and not a collectivist good, and transitioning to treating it as a collective good and towards a model of shared equity will require that we think about it differently and it will mean that families, especially white families, but some POC families who are home owners as well, are gonna have a different relationship to property than the one that we currently have.”
In December 2017, during events commemorating the renaming of a Harlem street corner after former Rep. Vito Marcantonio—a known communist—Weaver urged, “Elect more communists.” Amid the 2020 protests following George Floyd’s death, she posted, “The Police Are Just People The State Sanctions To Murder W[ith] Immunity.” In an interview with NY1, Weaver described her role as leading an office that “runs and works alongside tenants collectively raising their voices and taking part in city government together.”
Weaver has extensive experience in housing advocacy and Democratic politics. She previously coordinated campaigns for Housing Justice For All and advised Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral bid. Reports indicate she was part of the progressive influencers in Mamdani’s inner circle. She played a significant role in pushing for stronger rent stabilization laws in New York City’s Democratic-led state Legislature in 2019.
Her appointment aligns with Mamdani’s agenda, which includes proposing a rent freeze on about one million regulated apartments—subject to approval by the city’s Rent Guidelines Board. Mamdani has also suggested increasing taxes in predominantly white neighborhoods and outlined plans to confiscate properties from landlords who fail to complete required repairs or settle fines for violations. Additionally, Mamdani issued an executive order to organize “Rental Ripoff” hearings in all five boroughs.
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