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Ben And Jerry’s Took A Stand (Again) On BLM And Police Reform, And There’s A Silly Ice Cream War Brewing

American ice cream gurus Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are no strangers to taking a stance on political causes under the corporate Ben & Jerry’s umbrella. They regularly help organize and support climate marches, and last year, the company offered a strong stance (amid the George Floyd protests) to support Black Lives Matter, and they’re doing it again following the police shooting and killing of Daunte Wright after officer Kim Potter reportedly meant to deploy her taser and then “accidentally” (according to Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon via ABC News) shot Wright. Multiple nights of civil unrest have followed, and earlier this week, the Ben & Jerry’s Twitter account took a stand, arguing for rebuilding the system and defunding police departments.

“The murder of #DaunteWright is rooted in white supremacy and results from the intentional criminalization of Black and Brown communities,” tweeted Ben & Jerrys. “This system can’t be reformed. It must be dismantled and a real system of public safety rebuilt from the ground up. #DefundThePolice.”

This move has followed the conservative criticism of other corporations (including Coca-Cola and MLB) for taking a stand in Georgia over voter suppression. Naturally, the far-right’s response to these stances is to want to “cancel” the brands, which is ironic, considering how much they complain about “cancel culture.” The same silliness is following Ben & Jerry’s declaration.

https://twitter.com/kerimsuleman/status/1382332894799093763

In other words, an ice cream war is brewing. On one side, you’ve got foot stomping.

Elsewhere, people are surprised that some are only now noticing that Ben & Jerry’s takes stances on issues. And some are also pointing out that, beyond everything else, “the product Ben and Jerry’s makes tastes much better than My Pillow.” Ouch.

https://twitter.com/ResusCGMedia/status/1382335380368674824

In addition to all of the Ben & Jerry’s love out there, there’s also plenty of people reminding Posobiec about the 2015 Listeria outbreak that’s tied to Blue Bell. So, it looks like Ben & Jerry’s will keep on standing for multiple reasons.