A deleted November 2018 post attributed to New York City tenant official Cea Weaver said, “Impoverish the white middle class. Homeownership is racist / failed public policy.” The wording resurfaced after Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Weaver to lead the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Critics called the language racist, extreme, or disqualifying; defenders emphasized Weaver’s tenant-advocacy record and argued that the backlash served real-estate interests. Weaver expressed regret for some old wording without specifically retracting this sentence.
Latest evidence
Recent events
Condemned
Addressed record
On November 19, 2018, Cea Weaver posted: “Impoverish the white middle class. Homeownership is racist / failed public policy.”
“What? That’s a goal? You know you’re supposed to scare people into voting for you, right?”
Speaker capacity
Comedian and television host
Editorial rationale
His rhetorical questions communicate direct rejection of the stated goal.
On November 19, 2018, Cea Weaver posted: “Impoverish the white middle class. Homeownership is racist / failed public policy.”
“You can’t run around calling white people who own homes racist and say you have plans to devastate the white middle class and not expect a little blowback.”
Speaker capacity
Political commentator and podcast host
Editorial rationale
Kelly expressly rejects the language and characterizes it as an attack on white homeowners and the white middle class.
On November 19, 2018, Cea Weaver posted: “Impoverish the white middle class. Homeownership is racist / failed public policy.”
“He gets in there and he sounds like a total crazy person who wants to take your house away because you have the wrong skin color.”
Speaker capacity
Vice president of the United States
Editorial rationale
The statement directly rejects the appointment and portrays the policy direction as discriminatory; the quoted description is Vance’s characterization, not a literal Weaver policy quote.
Weaver later described private property, especially homeownership, as a weapon of white supremacy presented as wealth-building policy.
“New York: Consider this your official notice from the Justice Department. We will NOT tolerate discrimination based on skin color. It is ILLEGAL.”
Speaker capacity
Assistant attorney general for civil rights
Editorial rationale
The official warning is an adverse response to Weaver’s rhetoric and appointment, while not alleging that a specific discriminatory act had already occurred.
