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.
Smith and his wife have an active role in the Oakland community and are the co-founders and owners of local music and culture magazine “Dope Era Magazine”.
The lifelong East Bay resident has also helped organize numerous resource drives for the homeless and school children, according to Mother Jones.