New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has appointed Mysonne Linen—a rapper, activist, and formerly incarcerated New Yorker—to help lead his City Hall transition team on public safety, according to recent reports.
The social justice organization Until Freedom, where Linen serves as a prominent leader, announced in late November that he had been tapped for the position. “We are proud that Until Freedom leaders have been chosen to serve on Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team on committees for public safety and criminal justice respectively,” the group wrote in an Instagram post.
Until Freedom describes itself as a nonprofit focused on “community activism, education, and rapid response to tragedies resulting from injustice.” Its post highlighted the group’s long-standing activism, stating that the appointments reflect “our decades of work advocating on behalf of Black and Brown communities and our expertise in gun violence prevention, legislative advocacy, and criminal justice reform.”
“We are not asking for a donation, we are asking for your investment; an investment in a movement worthy of the most marginalized people,” the group added, saying they are “building something different.”
Fox News noted that Linen has cultivated a public presence over the years through community advocacy, anti-violence work, and civic engagement, often sharing updates about these efforts and his involvement with Until Freedom.
Linen, a Bronx native once signed to Def Jam, has a criminal history that includes two felony robbery convictions in the late 1990s. A Bronx jury convicted him in 1999 for two armed robberies of taxi drivers. According to the New York Daily News, Linen participated in robbing cab driver Joseph Exiri in 1997—an incident in which the driver was struck with a beer bottle—and later robbed cab driver Francisco Monsanto in 1998, taking cash and a ring before fleeing.
Reports at the time noted that Linen had earned significant money writing songs for artists such as Lil’ Kim and Mase, and questioned why he would have taken part in the robberies. Though he faced up to 25 years in prison, Linen ultimately served seven.
Mamdani’s public safety agenda has already generated widespread concern. Critics have pointed to his stated desire to replace police officers with social workers in responding to certain domestic violence situations, arguing that such an approach could endanger victims or first responders. Since winning the election, Mamdani has also said he intends to end sweeps of homeless encampments, prompting additional debate over how the city will address crime, homelessness, and quality-of-life issues during his administration.
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This new “mayor” is in for the ride of his life. Would absolutely LOVE to be a fly on the wall watching his actions and reactions. The only reason he will not be recalled is because by law he cannot be recalled. He would have to resign. Doubt he lasts a year.
Mamdani is turning the screw on the law abicing tax paying citizens of NYC.