DeRay Mckesson is still best known as one of the most visible members of the Black Lives Matter movement, although he did strike out in a new direction when he chose to run in the Democratic primary to replace departing Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
Mckesson defied expectations by securing 2.5 percent of the vote, with 3,077 people casting their ballots for him. If he’s to be believed, that’s about 16,000 people fewer than he’s blocked on Twitter.
Mckesson, wearing his trademark blue vest (in June, in California), spoke Wednesday at Recode’s CodeCon with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who sported a nifty #StayWoke T-shirt.
Cool shirt! Only 3% of Twitter employees are black or Latino! pic.twitter.com/SxaA5nXGf7
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) June 1, 2016
Giving each other pats on the back for @Square's management team that has no Blacks or WoC. #staywoke Cc @jack @deray
— Ellen Pao (@ekp) June 1, 2016
So many haters! Mckesson told a sympathetic Dorsey that he’s blocked 19,000 people on Twitter.
At #CodeCon @Deray says he's blocked 19,000 haters/threat-makers on @Twitter. Dorsey: more safety is top priority.
— Jessica Yellin (@JessicaYellin) June 1, 2016
.@deray has blocked 19,000 people on @twitter. How? "One at a time." https://t.co/2zS2fRRiOU #codecon pic.twitter.com/EsS9tu6O90
— Recode (@Recode) June 1, 2016
The revelation comes as no surprise, as “Blocked by DeRay” had become a badge of honor well before he spoke at CodeCon.
If you're not blocked by @deray you're not using Twitter correctly.#FreddieGray
— Right Wing Raven (@KazeSkyz) May 24, 2016
If you give deray or Arthur Chu the heebie jeebies you get blocked by like 500 people you've never spoken to
— Baseball Dank (@Detroit_Dongs) May 25, 2016
@deray blocked me because I pointed out a fact he had no answer for.
— Philosopher King (@JonesyKrueger) May 23, 2016
I got blocked by @Nettaaaaaaaa. I guess she didn't like me calling her and her buddy @deray THUGS. #KellyFile
— #NeverTrumpOrHillary (@ImFarToTheRight) May 24, 2016
@ImFarToTheRight @Nettaaaaaaaa haha! I got blocked by ? @deray
— dancingdelilah (@dancingdelilah) May 24, 2016
Also blocked by Deray, #blessed
— Matt (@LukeBryanSucks_) May 23, 2016
#IWasBlockedFor asking @Deray to send me a list of all the ppl he blocked. I need to #FF them. #Winning pic.twitter.com/UaLHguJah9
— Fred Wimpy (@fredwimpy) May 12, 2016
@SamPeiffer LMAO, I consider it a right of passage to be blocked by @deray. Welcome sir! ? pic.twitter.com/NAYzSLEdry
— Soul Watcher (@lisecob) May 12, 2016
Im black and deray hates my blackness, in fact, he has me blocked for disagreeing with him. Kind of sad huh? @LaurieInQueens @deray
— Hotep Lex Luthor (@Shadowsteppah) May 7, 2016
@FrankHorowitz @ShaunKing the day deray and pitchfork blocked me I drank wine and felt great
— ♥ Gizmo ♥ (@Lilcuteybunny) May 14, 2016
@GAlighieri3 @deray I was preemptively blocked apparently. don't remember corresponding with the guy. Must have an algo setup.
— Schnippity Schnap (@CrippityCrab) May 12, 2016
I'm blocked by Shaun King and Deray. @RockyMtsunshine @CAIRNational @walidshoebat
— Cruz'n Grandma (@CoFemale) May 14, 2016
I'm blocked by Deray, Netta, & now Shaun King. It's like collecting trading cards.
— Hoodson (@hoodsonco) May 6, 2016
How has @deray not blocked me yet
— El Chupanutria (@heyitsurban) May 1, 2016
Deray hasn't blocked me yet so as far as I'm concerned I'm not that problematic.
— Zeke (@flippedhatnupe) June 1, 2016
I've got a couple accounts that haven't been blocked by deray. Who wants to troll him?
— General'Sarcasm (@EmperorSarcasm) May 25, 2016
#NeverTrustAnyoneWho isn't blocked by @deray pic.twitter.com/qXdlEKBoGp
— Right Wing Raven (@KazeSkyz) May 13, 2016
Mckesson’s blocking of a small city’s worth of people would be amusing if he weren’t also collaborating closely with Valerie Jarrett on the administration’s push for criminal justice reform, infusing it with ideas gleaned from the Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson and elsewhere. How many thousand “haters” can one block and still be seriously considered “a vocal Twitter leader for all kinds of social issues?”
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