Zohran Mamdani Hires Mysonne Linen For NYC Mayoral Transition Team

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has hired rapper-turned-activist Mysonne Linen to serve as part of his transition team’s “criminal legal system” committee. Linen, who previously served seven years in prison on armed robbery charges, and several others from the social justice advocacy non-profit Until Freedom were announced as part of Mamdani’s transition team last month. “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,” read the announcement, which also confirmed that Tamika D. Mallory and Angelo Pinto will join Linen as part of the transition team’s committee on the criminal legal system. The announcement caught some attention from various publications this week, with a focus on Linen’s criminal history. Linen was convicted in 1999 after he was allegedly involved in the armed robbery of two taxi drivers, just as he was scheduled to release his debut album via Def Jam. He was sentenced to seven to 14 years and was released on parole in 2006. He maintained his innocence and dedicated himself to criminal justice activism following his release. Following reporting from The New York Post, Linen’s Until Freedom responded in a post on Instagram, which showed the front page that labeled the former rapper a “crime boss” and featured him wearing a t-shirt that reads, “Boycott Black Murder.” “They tried it with the headline. We outside doing real work,” the statement from Until Freedom reads. “Mysonne is the BOSS at Until Freedom. If you are wondering how to get your hands on our Boycott Black Murder merch - hit the link in our bio. All proceeds go back to our programs and campaigns. F**k the post. Support the work.

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