Braxton Winston was a member of the Charlotte, North Carolina City Council at-large from 7 November 2017. Winston first distinguished himself as the subject of a photo depicting himself facing Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers on 20 September 2016 at a protest against the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, having taken his shirt off to protect himself from tear gas. While he was arrested, a police officer told him that, if he wanted change, he should run for office, and he did exactly that; on 7 November 2017, he was elected to the City Council as a Democratic Party member.