Almost a month after a white woman called the police because a group of black people were having a barbecue, hundreds of people have turned up to the same spot to express their solidarity.
Video footage of an unidentified woman went viral after she reported the al fresco diners for using a charcoal grill in a non-charcoal area.
A friend of the family – Michelle Snider, who is also white – recorded the events at Lake Merritt, in Oakland, California, on 29 April.
She accused the woman of harassing the barbecuers because they are black, a claim which the woman rejected.
Police attended the barbecue and questioned the family for an hour, but took no further action.
Many online believed the charcoal vigilantism was the latest example of black people being reported to authorities while going about their business.
A black Yale University student had police called on her after falling asleep in a common room and a few weeks before that three Airbnb guests were apprehended by officers while checking out of their apartment.
Now hundreds of people have turned up to the exact location of the initial barbecue with picnic mats and food in a peaceful and good-natured show of togetherness.
Footage posted online shows people eating, drinking and chatting at the scene, with music playing and kites flying.
Twitter user Jamie Garrett observed: “I absolutely love not only the revenge factor, but that her ridiculous racism has brought an entire community together to bond and get to know each other.”
