Joann Ariola
Role at the time: Republican member of the New York City Council, interviewed on Forbes Newsroom
Statement summary
Ariola said Weaver had said in a 2019 video that homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy. Ariola called that a very racist statement and said Weaver should be held accountable and dismissed.
“And she said in a video online back in 2019 that homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy. Now, for that alone, she should be dismissed because we, as white Americans and white members, residents of this city have rights too. It's not just people of color who have rights. White people have rights too. And we have rights to homeownership. And that is a very racist statement. And she should be held accountable and dismissed for that.”
Forbes Breaking News video of a Forbes Newsroom interview with New York City Council Member Joann Ariola about Mayor Zohran Mamdani's early actions and appointments.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case's reference point is Cea Weaver's remarks on the white middle class and homeownership, including her statements tying homeownership to white supremacy. Ariola said Weaver had called homeownership a weapon of white supremacy, called that a very racist statement and said Weaver should be held accountable and dismissed. That is a direct rejection of the remark, so the label is Condemned.