Rapper-turned-activist Mysonne Linen has been appointed to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team, specifically within the criminal legal system committee, marking a significant step in the push for public safety reform in New York City. This move highlights Mysonne’s transformation from a Bronx defendant to a prominent advocate for change.
Mamdani’s transition website lists Mysonne among the members of the Committee on the Criminal Legal System, one of 17 advisory groups formed to provide policy and personnel recommendations as Mamdani prepares to take office next month. Mysonne, alongside fellow activist Tamika Mallory, took to Instagram to express their enthusiasm for the role, proclaiming, “GODS WORK!!”
Their organization, Until Freedom, released an official statement celebrating the appointment, emphasizing its significance as both symbolic and earned. “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. This is a testament to 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 building something different,” the statement read.
Mamdani is championing a bold $1.1 billion proposal for a Department of Community Safety, designed to redirect non-violent and mental health-related 911 calls away from NYPD response to trained civilian teams. This plan aims to maintain overall NYPD staffing while addressing the needs of the community more effectively.
Additionally, Mamdani has committed to ending NYPD-led sweeps of homeless encampments, arguing that such practices only displace unhoused individuals without providing stable housing solutions. “It pushes New Yorkers who are living in the cold to another place where they will live in the cold,” he stated in an interview with CBS News.
In terms of jail reform, Mamdani continues to advocate for the closure of Rikers Island, although he acknowledges that the current administration has rendered the original 2027 deadline “functionally impossible.”
The inclusion of Mysonne, Mallory, and other grassroots leaders with deep ties to New York City is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the city’s future criminal justice policies.
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