In a move no one saw coming, Civil Rights activist DeRay McKesson has formally thrown his hat into the political ring by filing the necessary paperwork to run for mayor of Baltimore.
“Baltimore is a city of promise and possibility,” McKesson told The Baltimore Sun. “We can’t rely on traditional pathways to politics and the traditional politicians who walk those paths if we want transformational change.”
McKesson, who is the 13th and final candidate to jump into the primary race, said he plans to release a platform next week. The 30-year-old activist, who now resides in North Baltimore, rose to prominence during the Ferguson riots which exploded after Mike Brown’s death and then went to Baltimore after Freddie Gray’s arrest and subsequent death, which also spawned riots.
Since Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has declined to run again, former mayor Mayor Sheila Dixon, lawyer Nick J. Mosby, businessman David L. Warnock and City Councilmen Carl Stokes are among the few candidates all vying for the position.
Respect to DeRay.