#BlackLivesMatter Activist DeRay Mckesson Is Running for Mayor of Baltimore

Mckesson told The Baltimore Sun that he expects to release a platform within a week, and acknowledged that his late entry into the race would mean he’d have some catching up to do.

“We can not rely on traditional pathways to politics and the traditional politicians who walk that path”, Mckesson said.

That movement grew significantly in the city of Baltimore in April 2015 when a man named Freddie Gray was arrested by police and died of a severe spinal injury after being transported in their van without a seatbelt.

Calling himself a “son of Baltimore,” Mckesson wrote he is joining the field to build a government that “is accountable to its people and is aggressively innovative in how it identifies and solves its problems”.

Mckesson’s largest influence has come from his constant presence on sites such as Twitter, which he uses during demonstrations as well as to draw attention to race-related issues throughout the country.

McKesson, a 30-year-old former public school administrator, had given no hint of his plan to jump into the race before filing his surprise application.

Including Mckesson, there are 13 Democrats, four Republicans, three Green Party members, and a Libertarian seeking the office.

Baltimore residents will decide who the city’s next mayor will be when they head to the polls for the 2016 general election in November.

The news, first reported by The New York Times, comes months after the current mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, announced she would not seek re-election.

Nick Mosby, a city councilman and husband of the Baltimore State’s Attorney prosecuting the six officers involved in the incident, is among the other contenders that include another councilman and a state senator.

Mckesson did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment.

Many people have asked me if I’d consider running for mayor of Baltimore.