Video shows woman calling police over barbecue at Lake Merritt

A video of a confrontation over a charcoal barbecue at Lake Merritt is attracting national attention after being shared and viewed thousands of times since its initial posting.

A white woman was in disagreement with two black men over whether a charcoal grill was allowed at Lake Merritt. Video of the confrontation shows the unidentified woman on the phone as she waits to talk with the Oakland Police Department, and people at the lake argue with her.

Oakland resident Onsayo Abram was setting up the barbecue that morning when he said the woman began to argue with him over the use of the grill. Abram said the woman called Lake Merritt "my park" and told him, "you guys shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be doing this."

"She walked up, and she was telling me that it was illegal and against the law to have a charcoal grill at the lake," Abram told SFGATE of the incident. "I proceed to tell her, 'Hey, there's not a posted sign. I believe I'm in the correct area. Go on about your day and leave me alone.' So she said, 'No, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I'm gonna need you to shut this down, or I'm gonna call the police.'

"I'm like, 'Do what you need to do,'" Abram recalled, "I'm gonna continue to enjoy my day."

The grill in question was in one of six designated barbecue areas for Lake Merritt, KRON 4 reported. Three locations are designated for charcoal barbecues, while the other three are for non-charcoal grills.

Abram's grill happened to be in a non-charcoal location, but he said even just the weekend prior there were groups barbecuing with charcoal in that same area.

Abram typified the stranger's attitude as rude, but said she didn't use any foul language, telling the group that "we weren't welcome at the lake." When asked if he felt the incident happened based on race, Abram affirmed it and said, "I felt the energy and felt that it was really directed toward me."

According to him, the woman continued to hang around for about two hours, when his friend Kenzie Smith arrived. After witnessing the woman's behavior in trying to get the group to leave, Smith contacted his wife, Michelle Snider, to tell her what was happening. Snider, who is white, was the one who approached the stranger and shot the video.

"I started ... calling her out," Snider told SFGATE. "If you're here this long, is this really about charcoal and the police, or is it really because you don't want two black men having a barbecue? ... I just didn't see any reason why there was a threat."

Lake Merritt has had issues with barbecues in the past, and, in 2015, placed signs around the park threatening to cite anyone barbecuing or drinking alcohol on the eastern part of the lake. Lake Merritt has had issues with barbecues in the past, and, in 2015, placed signs around the park threatening to cite anyone barbecuing or drinking alcohol on the eastern part of the lake. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Video shows woman calling police over barbecue at Lake Merritt 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

In the video, others visiting the park and not part of the group were seen trying to dissuade the woman from calling officers.

Oakland councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney told KRON 4 that police should only be called for emergency purposes and that there are other ways to deal with the situation.

"I want to encourage people to know when to call the police," McElhaney said, "when to raise a question of regulations with the City Council, maybe there is a passive way to reach out to us."

Lake Merritt has had issues with barbecues in the past, and, in 2015, placed signs around the park threatening to cite anyone barbecuing or drinking alcohol on the eastern part of the lake, the East Bay Express reported three years ago. The push to hit locals with citations was over apparent complaints of trash at the park, and one complaint over a toddler being burned by improperly disposed of coals, McElhaney said in a Facebook post.

Police did ultimately respond to calls over the grill and took down a report with both parties saying they were harassed. No one was cited or arrested, and the barbecue was allowed to continue. Still, Abram called the incident "shocking" as an Oakland native.

"I've never had to deal with something like this in my 42 years in Oakland," Abram said. "At first I was kinda shocked, and then I was angry. I've been here all my life. And for somebody who probably hasn't even been in Oakland for 10 years or more is over here trying to make rules and regulations on something that me, as a property owner and as a tax payer and as a lifetime resident in Oakland, [someone is] telling me what to do, how to do it, how to move and how to live my life."

Both Abram and Snider said that if the city wants to avoid problems like this, it needs to clarify the rules of the park or provide more places for people to throw trash.

"If the real problem is with the policy of the park, [and] is all about the cleanliness of the lake, then we should find policies around that — not chasing people away or calling the police ... We shouldn't criminalize people for barbecuing at the lake," said Snider. "It's been a longtime tradition."