Ex‑hate‑crimes official suing Eric Adams takes top post in Mamdani administration

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 02:56:00 +0200

Hassan Naveed, the former head of New York City’s hate‑crimes prevention office who was fired in 2024 and is now suing the city and former Mayor Eric Adams for alleged religious discrimination, has rejoined city government under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. As of April 2026, Naveed serves as chief of staff to Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Renita Francois, a newly created post overseeing Mamdani’s Office of Community Safety. The move makes him one of the first high‑profile appointments on Francois’s team, even as his federal lawsuit against Adams, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, and two city employees continues. Naveed’s lawyer, Luna Droubi, confirms that the case, which alleges he was terminated because of his Muslim faith and his criticism of anti‑Muslim and anti‑Palestinian rhetoric after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, is still pending. City law already allows Naveed to remain employed while litigating, but the situation raises awkward optics: he now works inside the same go