The Mamdani administration rehired a staffer fired under former Mayor Eric Adams — as the employee continues a lawsuit against the city for alleged discrimination when he was given the pink slip.
Hassan Naveed was hired by Mayor Zohran Mamdani as the chief of staff to the deputy mayor for community safety, writing online Monday that he was “thrilled” about the new post.
“I want to extend a sincere thank you to Deputy Mayor Renita Francois for this incredible opportunity and for her leadership as we build the City’s first unified, durable community safety agency,” Naveed wrote on LinkedIn.
Hassan Naveed is joining the Mamdani administration as the chief of staff to the deputy mayor for community safety. Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office“It is a profound honor to work under the vision of Mayor Zohran K Mamdani to ensure that safety in New York City is proactive, coordinated, and grounded in the needs of our neighborhoods.”
Hassan served under Adams as the executive director for the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes for about a year and a half.
He claims he was fired from his “hostile work environment” over the administration’s anti-Muslim bias, claiming in a lawsuit that he faced “repeated discrimination on the basis of his Muslim religion and his South Asian ethnicity.”
Naveed and other Muslim members of the team raised concerns of the behavior after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, but claims in the suit then-Mayor Adams brushed it aside.
Naveed claims he was fired over the Adams administration’s “repeated discrimination on the basis of his Muslim religion and his South Asian ethnicity.” APThe suit quotes Adams as saying, “I don’t know the difference between a Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, I have no idea.”
He continued to play down any allegations, telling Naveed that Muslims were facing discrimination because they had not denounced Hamas, the suit adds.
Naveed says he recorded the conversation but did not release the audio.
A spokesperson for Adams at that time claimed Hassan was let go due to “poor performance.”
Naveed, who served on the Mamdani transition team, will work in City Hall while his lawsuit against the Big Apple remains active.
He referred comments to his lawyer about the suit and declined to comment on the new gig.
City Hall said the pending litigation will not affect his new work, and the Corporation Counsel will determine how to move forward with the case
“Hassan Naveed brings deep experience across the core issues at the heart of the Office of Community Safety’s work,” said mayoral spokesperson Sam Raskin. “That experience will be essential as we build a more coordinated, whole-of-government approach to public safety and mental health that ensures our systems respond to New Yorkers’ needs with urgency and dignity.”
