Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. In 1644, a man named Paulo d'Angola was deeded land on the corner of Bleecker and Thompson, in what would later become Greenwich Village. He and 10 others were the first enslaved people brought to New York. And after 20 years of bondage, they had won their liberation. Property held a promise of dignity, stability and opportunity. Property was the physical proof of freedom. After the English took over New York City in 1664, they seized the land that belonged to him and his fellow freedmen. Centuries have passed, but still, d'Angola's story is no relic of history. It is one deeply familiar to too many in this city. I am talking about deed theft. Deed theft not only disproportionately robs Black and Brown New Yorkers of their homes, it also robs them of the stability that a home provides.
According to data from our Attorney General Letitia James' office, more than 3,500 deed theft complaints were filed in New York City, primarily in Brooklyn and Queens, between 2013 and 2023. Over the past few years, the issue has escalated, with 517 complaints registered in 2025 alone, more than three times the 149 lodged in 2023. There are a number of those in elected office who have led efforts to tackle this scourge. I want to commend my partners in government, Attorney General James, Council Member Chi Ossé [and] so many others who have joined us here today. I want to acknowledge leaders in our administration: our Department of Finance Commissioner Richard Lee; our CCHR Commissioner Christine Clarke; our Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; our Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez; our state senator of this district, Jabari Brisport; the Assembly member of this district, Stefani Zinerman; Assembly Member Landon Dais; leader of the People's Coalition to Stop Deed Theft, Evangeline Byars; L. Joy Williams from the New York State NAACP; faith leaders and advocates.
And I also want to thank those who are hosting us here today at the Brooklyn Bank. And I also want to thank Governor Hochul for making this issue a priority and for focusing on the issue of deed theft. Thanks to the efforts of Attorney General James and State Senator Zellnor Myrie, New York State finally made deed theft a crime in 2023. And I am also thankful to our Assembly Member Landon Dais for that legislation, a measure that I was also proud to support during my time in the state legislature. Yet we know that injustice persists.
That is why today I am proud to announce City Hall will lead that work through the creation of New York City's first-ever Office of Deed Theft Prevention. This office will be led by Peter White, a long-time supervising attorney for homeowner assistance at Access Justice Brooklyn. And this office will be housed in the Department of Finance, where Peter will write a new story of action. Over the past decade, Peter has protected homeowners from foreclosure, bankruptcy and deed theft in court. He has also dedicated his time to supporting homeowners via Know Your Rights workshops, foreclosure presentations and oath clinics. His work helping New Yorkers navigate what is often a predatory housing market will serve as the foundation for how he leads the Office of Deed Theft Prevention.
And Peter and his team will work closely across city agencies to build on the 2023 state reforms. I know in the past, City government has too often stood idly by while deed theft occurs rather than acting to prevent it. With Peter's leadership, we are bringing that era to an end. And we are ensuring that City government is doing its part to protect vulnerable homeowners. The Office of Deed Theft Prevention will coordinate closely with HPD and our city's Commission on Human Rights to educate homeowners across the five boroughs, particularly those in neighborhoods with the highest rates of predatory reverse redlining. And the team will work with the Homeowner Help Desk to provide resources and connect property owners to legal counsel and with the offices of the Attorney General and the district attorney to crack down on those committing deed theft.
To further support these efforts, the office will also be tasked with exploring legislation on the city and state levels to build on the work that is being done. We know deed theft is not the only thing pushing families out of their homes. There is also the tax lien sale. Before I ran for office, I worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor, helping New Yorkers on the tax lien sale list. I knocked on door after door in Queens, looking to speak to homeowners about their options to get off of what would be a fast track to foreclosure. No family should have to experience the anguish that those have felt to reckon with that kind of powerlessness.
To have to be faced with the prospect of paying off the entirety of their mortgage and losing their home because of a $5,000 water bill. That is why we have made the decision to pause the tax lien sale for the next six months. We have made that decision with the intention of undertaking a full review of the system with equity at the heart of it. And I want to thank all of my partners here at state levels, at city levels, at the county level and in the advocacy world for ensuring that this was an issue that was front of mind for so many.
Because this work, frankly, is long overdue. Over the past two decades, more than 200,000 Black New Yorkers have left New York City. That is a very real [and]very tangible exodus. Here in Bed-Stuy, it carries a particular pain. It is felt in storefronts shuttered. It is felt in restaurants that once bustled but now sit closed. It is felt in schools with fewer students. It is felt in churches with pews that are empty of its parishioners. City Hall will use the full extent of our power to protect those who have been left to struggle alone for so long. Because every New Yorker should be able to realize the benefits of their labor [and] of their investments.
Every New Yorker should be able to lead a dignified life in the home that they grew up in, in the city that they love. And we are going to look to utilize every tool to make that possible. Thank you. Now with that being said, I will say two additional things: one, we do have a longer program this morning. And I want you all to understand the reason for the length of that program is because of just how many people have been at the forefront of this fight. So, we will hear from a number of people over the course of this morning. We are going to begin with our new appointee of the Mayor's Office to Prevent Deed Theft, Peter White.
Peter White, Director, Office of Deed Theft Prevention: Thank you, everyone. First of all, thank you, Mayor Mamdani. I am deeply humbled by this appointment as director of the new Mayor's Office of Deed Theft Prevention. And I would like to start with a brief story.
[A] grandmother wakes up early in the morning to the sounds of her grandchildren preparing to leave to school. She puts on her robe to walk them down the stairs and out of the home like she does every morning. As her grandchildren cross the portal of their front door leading outside, they notice a peculiar piece of paper attached to the front door. They yell back to her, alerting her that something is there. She takes the sheet. It is a notice of eviction. "How can it be?" she thinks. She purchased the home 40 years ago and paid off the loan 10 years ago. She scans the page and sees the name of the alleged landlord. He's someone she knows, but she can't exactly put the face with the name. "Wait," she thinks. This is the local handyman that did repairs on her home at a discounted rate. "I never signed my home over to him," she says to herself. "But wait, I did sign a contract with him." But it was so many papers, she just didn't quite know what she was signing. She can't exactly remember what she signed. She looks up in disbelief. Now, this is a story of a fictional homeowner, but it is like so many others I've witnessed over the last decade.
Situations like this one have stoked my dedication to deep theft prevention work. I will approach this position with the rigor and seriousness that it deserves to help preserve the homes of individuals like the person in my story. My fundamental goal is to make life better for New York City homeowners. This is something I have tried to do since the beginning of my legal career and has remained a guiding principle throughout my time working as an attorney at Access Justice Brooklyn. I will carry this same passion into my new role. This office will focus on three central tenets: number one, deed fraud identification; number two, deed fraud prevention; and number three, deed fraud correction and remediation.
I understand that deed theft is amorphous, pernicious and consistent in many working-class communities and neighborhoods of color in New York City. Scam prevention already has an ecosystem of outstanding attorneys and housing professionals that have assisted homeowners in their times of need. This office will serve to help coordinate and leverage those efforts. I'm excited and proud to work with our partners across city agencies and elected officials across the city and state, like so many that are here today, and we all want to help serve New Yorkers. Deed theft, along with its related fraud and scams, stands as a multifaceted issue that deserves an integrated approach.
The establishment of this office is not just a win for homeowners, but for those housing professionals that work every day tirelessly to ensure that their clients retain their core asset, their homes. Moreover, I intend to work with groups and organizations that promote economic stabilization and aging in place of senior citizens. Deed fraud has especially affected seniors, many of whom live in Brooklyn and Queens. Many potential scammers see these people as being the most vulnerable population in New York City, and we're going to try to help correct that. Many of my clients have been these people, in fact. They're our grandparents, our aunts, our uncles and our neighbors. I intend to develop and implement additional strategies to ensure their protection going forward. Thank you again for this opportunity to continue serving New Yorkers. I will do my best to make you proud.
