Black Man Who Had Cops Called On Him By 'BBQ Becky' Running For Oakland City Council

[appalachiablue]

One of the black men who had police called on him by a white woman for using a charcoal grill in an Oakland, Calif., park is now running for a city council seat there, Mother Jones reported.

An Oakland council member nominated Kenzie Smith, 37, to a position on Oakland's Park and Recreation Advisory Committee.

Smith said he has filed the paperwork to run for the position and officially declared his candidacy. He has reportedly begun collecting the signatures needed to accept campaign donations and started building a campaign staff.

His platform will focus on homelessness and renters' rights, education and youth employment, he told Mother Jones.

Jennifer Schulte - widely dubbed "BBQ Becky" on the internet - called the Oakland police on Smith and his family in April while the family was grilling in a local park. According to footage captured by Smith's wife, Schulte called police because she said it was illegal to have a charcoal grill in the park.

The video went viral prompting area residents to host a massive cookout in the park two weeks later in support of Smith and his family....
Read More: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/black-man-who-had-cops-called-on-him-by-white-woman-running-for-oakland-city-council/ar-AAzASni?li=BBnbfcL

[Gothmog]

1. This makes me smile

[appalachiablue]

2. In case you missed the story---

http://atlantablackstar.com/2018/05/15/women-went-viral-calling-cops-black-family-barbecuing-park-now-viral-meme/

[Johnny2X2X]

3. Disgusting

She wants to be left alone after harassing people.

She's a pure racist. This video should cost her any job she might have. I would not allow this person to keep working for me if she was my employee.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. It's not funny

I know this fool is fun to laugh at, but people need to realize that without camera phones this might have ended a completely different way. A decade ago this racist might have been able to get the black men arrested just by her word.

[mcar]

4. ...

[appalachiablue]

6. MOJO, 7/4: 'BBQBecky Called Cops On Kenzie Smith. Now He's Running For Oakland City Council'

Kenzie Smith, one of two men who had police called on him by the woman the internet dubbed #BBQBecky, is running for a City Council seat in Oakland, California. Back in April, as you may recall, “Becky”—since identified as Jennifer Schulte—called the police to report that two African American men were barbecuing with a charcoal grill in a lakeside area designated for gas grilling only.
The #BBQBecky affair—which went viral thanks to a video posted by Smith’s wife—was part of a recent string of “doing X while black” incidents that lit up the internet. The Oakland encounter prompted memes and local protests, as well as #BBQingWhileBlack events—organized, in part, by Smith—in the very spot where Schulte sought to shoo the men away.

Not long after Smith’s run-in with Schulte, an Oakland council member nominated him to a position on Oakland’s Park and Recreation Advisory Committee. Smith, 37, now says he has also filed the paperwork to vie for council in District 2, where he’ll face an uphill battle against incumbent Abel Guillen and local housing activist Nikki Bas Fortunato.

But Smith, the brother of Bay Area rap legend Mistah F.A.B., has strong local connections. He and his wife, Michelle Snider, are the co-founders and co-owners of Dope Era Magazine, a local music and culture magazine. Through Dope Era and his work with other community groups, Smith, a lifelong East Bay resident, has helped organize a range of initiatives, including resource drives for the homeless, backpack drives for Oakland schoolkids, hygiene kit drives, and STI testing events.
He recently helped raise more than $14,000 for a local homeless man targeted in another viral incident—a video showed a jogger throwing the man’s belongings into the trash and the lake. (Smith told Mother Jones he is now trying to help the man find an apartment.) He and his friend from the barbecue encounter, Smith says, also hope to launch a nonprofit that will focus on youth job and leadership training.

Since announcing his council ambitions in June, Smith has officially declared his candidacy, begun collecting the signatures he needs to accept campaign donations, and started building a campaign staff. His platform, he told Mother Jones, will focus on homelessness and renters’ rights-key Bay Area issues-as well as education & jobs for youth... https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/bbqbecky-called-cops-on-kenzie-smith-now-running-for-oakland-city-council/