The founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream are urging white individuals “to act” and speak out against police brutality of Black Americans.
In an op-ed published by USA Today Tuesday, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield argued, “While Black people bear the brunt of police brutality, it’s white people who allow this racism to continue.”
They continued, “Ours is a majority white society. White people elect the officials who appoint police chiefs. Police chiefs are overwhelmingly white. The people we pay to protect and serve are killing and brutalizing Black people before our very eyes. And we’re letting them get away with it.”
Cohen and Greenfield listed instances of police brutality, adding, “When we were growing up, our mothers taught us the policeman was our friend. Black mothers have no choice but to teach their children to fear the police.”
They suggested if white individuals are not actively fighting against police brutality, “We are allowing the horrors to continue. White people need to act. We need to use our power to end injustice.”
Mentioning the murder of George Floyd, Cohen and Greenfield accused Congress of failing to “meet the moment with a national solution.”
The op-ed goes on, “Since our national failure, the crisis has only gotten worse. More than 1,000 people have been killed by police since George Floyd was murdered on May 25, 2020. And hundreds of thousands more have faced inhuman abuse.”
Cohen and Greenfield also noted some states have passed laws to improve policing, including California, Colorado and New Mexico.
“Now, we’re leading an effort through the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity that includes a coalition of more than 2,000 business leaders, professional athletes, police and celebrities, as well as dozens of national organizations, including Americans for Prosperity, the ACLU and hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens, to mobilize people in every state to demand integrity, accountability and better public safety,” the pair wrote.
They added, “If we choose to use it, we white people have the power to hold rogue cops accountable and create a society where Black mothers can also teach their children that the policeman is their friend.”
In September, the company launched a new flavor in support of Rep. Cori Bush’s (D-Mo.) legislation, the People’s Response Act, as IJR reported.
The website explained, “Grab your spoon & dig into a flavor boldly celebrating safety & liberation for all. It’s time to divest from systems that criminalize Black communities & invest in a vision of public safety that allows everyone to breathe free.”
