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Blue Bell Says It’s Working With Authorities to Track Down Viral Ice Cream Licker

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3 months ago

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  • Footage has gone viral that shows a woman in a grocery store opening a container of ice cream, licking the top, and then placing it back into a store freezer for another customer to purchase. 
  • The ice cream brand Blue Bell now says they are working with authorities to track down the woman. 
  • The incident also prompted many to ask why the company does not have protective seals on its products.
  • Blue Bell says a “natural seal” is created when the ice cream hardens upside down during production.

Viral Video 

Blue Bell Ice Cream is looking for the woman seen in a viral clip opening a container of ice cream, licking the top, and putting it back into the store freezer.

Footage of the incident went viral on Twitter after a user who goes by the screen name Optimus Primal shared the clip on Saturday with the caption, “What kinda psychopathic behavior is this?!”

In the clip, which has over 11 million views, an individual offscreen can be heard encouraging the woman to lick the company’s Tin Roof flavored ice cream. 

Who is she?

In a statement to Time Magazine, the user who shared the clip said he doesn’t know the woman in it and actually found the video on Instagram as part of a story shared by the actress Alexis Fields-Jackson. 

The actress apparently doesn’t know the woman either. In a post on her Instagram, she wrote: “I am not the girl in the disgusting ice cream video. Leave me alone.” She also explained that she reposted the video like many others have and said it was removed by Instagram. The actress also promised to report those who have been defaming or threatening her over the confusion. 

Some social media users have identified the ice cream licker as a woman from San Antonio, Texas named Asia. According to a report from Heavy, she was allegedly the owner of the Instagram account “xx.asiaaaa.xx” while it was still active. Twitter users say she boasted about becoming famous over the video and said she recently had the flu, which sparked even more outrage.

“Now you can call it Flu Bell ice cream ’cause I was a lil sick last week,” a screenshot of one comment by the account reads. The post goes on to encourage others to follow her lead and use the hashtag #TinRoofChallenge writing, “Let’s see if we can start an epidemic (literally).”

Blue Bell Responds 

People on Twitter have also made sure to make the ice cream brand aware of the situation. Blue Bell responded to several users on Twitter saying they “take the issue very seriously.”

In a statement on their website, the company said they are “currently working with law enforcement, retail partners, and social media platforms” to investigate. 

“This type of incident will not be tolerated. Food safety is a top priority, and we work hard to provide a safe product and maintain the highest level of confidence from our consumers,” the company added.

Many users are calling for police to take action over the food tampering incident.

If the incident did happen in Texas, state law makes it a felony to tamper with consumer products if someone could be injured as a result. Depending on the degree of the charge, punishments can range from fines to jail time. 

One viral tweet said the ice cream licker was charged with a felony. However, as of now police have not confirmed any arrest. 

In fact, San Antonio police told KSAT that they can’t confirm that the incident even happened in their jurisdiction and say it does not appear that the girl in the video lives in San Antonio. So as of now, where the incident happened and who is responsible remains unclear.

Protective Seals

Aside from the outrage directed at the woman in the video, the incident also prompted many social media users to question why Blue Bell does not have protective seals on its ice cream containers.

Some even say the woman’s action don’t warrant an arrest but show that the company has a safety issue. 

The company responded to those complaints in their statement by saying, “During production, our half gallons are flipped upside down and sent to a hardening room where the ice cream freezes to the lid creating a natural seal.” 

“The lids are frozen tightly to the carton,” the statement continued. “Any attempt at opening the product should be noticeable.”

See what others are saying: (Time) (Heavy) (Insider)  


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School Shooting-Themed Hoodies Slammed by Gun Violence Victims

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1 day ago

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September 18, 2019

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  • A fashion brand faced criticism for designing hoodies that featured bullet holes along with the names of schools that were sites of some of the nation’s deadliest school shootings. 
  • Bstroy, a streetwear line known for rebellious designs, said it wanted to make a bold statement about gun violence “while also empowering the survivors of tragedy through storytelling in the clothes.”
  • While the hoodies were just created for their New York fashion show, the designers are now considering selling the sweatshirts despite widespread outrage from victims.

School Shooting Sweatshirts 

A fashion brand known as Bstroy sparked outrage on social media after designing school shooting-themed hoodies for a show during New York Fashion Week.

The brand’s latest collection, designed by Brick Owens and Duey Catorze, featured distressed hoodies with the names of schools that were all impacted by gun violence and even included bullet hole details throughout each piece.  

The schools included in the show were Stoneman Douglas, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and Columbine, all sites of some of the nation’s deadliest school shootings. 

Backlash From Victims 

Photos from the runway posted to Instagram over the weekend were quickly met with a wave of backlash from commenters who identified themselves as shooting survivors and friends or relatives of gun violence victims. 

Comments below Instagram images posted to Bstroy and Owens’ accounts.

A spokesperson for the Vicky Soto Memorial Fund, which was created after teacher Victoria Soto was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, took to Twitter to call the designs “absolutely horrific.”

“A company is [making] light of our pain and other’s pain for fashion,” she continued. “Selling sweatshirts with our name and bullet holes. Unbelievable.”

Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jamie died during the Stoneman Douglas shooting also tweeted, “This has me so upset. If any of my followers no anybody involved with this clothing line, please ask them to stop it immediately.”

Shawn Sherlock, the aunt of another Stoneman Douglas victim named Gina Rose Montalto, said the company “should be ashamed of taking advantage of [her niece’s] death to make money.”

More About Bstroy

Bstroy, which describes itself as a “Neo-Native Menswear Design House,” was featured in a New York Times piece published last week about the next generation of high-end streetwear. The Times specifically pointed to the brand’s rebellious takes on classic designs.

They’re probably most well known for their double-edge jeans, which essentially look like two pairs of jeans stitched together at the ankle holes, as well as their Nike shoes dipped in concrete. 

@bstroy.us
Source: Theface.com

According to the paper, the brand has also designed “graphic T-shirts that nod to preppy interests like tennis and fencing, but with the sports gear replaced by guns.”

@bstroy.us

“We are making violent statements,” one designer told The Times. “That’s for you to know who we are, so we can have a voice in the market. But eventually that voice will say things that everyone can wear.”

Bstroy’s Response 

Late Tuesday, Owens posted a handout from the show on Instagram that read: “Sometimes life can be painfully ironic. Like the irony of dying violently in a place you considered to be a safe, controlled environment, like school. We are reminded all the time of life’s fragility, shortness, and unpredictability yet we are also reminded of its infinite potential.”

In an email sent to the Today show, Owens explained that he and Catorze were trying to make a bold statement. “We wanted to make a comment on gun violence and the type of gun violence that needs preventative attention and what its origins are, while also empowering the survivors of tragedy through storytelling in the clothes,” the designer wrote.

“Also built into the device is the fact that our image as young, black males has not been traditionally awarded credit for introducing avant-garde ideas. So many people have assumed our message to be lazy just because of what they’ve been taught about black men. These hoodies were made with all of these intentions in mind, and to explore all of these societal issues. Not just the surface layer of gun violence in schools but also the different ways that we relate to each other and the dated ideas that still shape the assumptions we make about each other,” he wrote.

The designers also spoke to The Cut about the response to the collection and said, “People get the opportunity to form their opinions before they get all the information and here we see the internal desire of society rear its head.” 

“People seem to want to release hateful energy as a default,” they added. 

The designers then explained that they are now considering whether or not to put the hoodies up for sale, saying: “The hoodies have only been shown not sold and the school shooting hoodies were initially intended to be just for the show and not to sell but that may change now.”

The backlash surrounding the designs comes just as the nonprofit organization Sandy Hook Promise released an intense video about gun violence in schools. 

See what others are saying: (The Cut) (The Washington Post) (Today)

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Nearly 50,000 Workers Strike Against General Motors

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2 days ago

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September 17, 2019

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  • GM Employees are striking for the second day after contract negotiations between their union and company did not meet their demands. 
  • GM did give an offer after negotiations, but it was not satisfactory to the nearly 50,000 employees, who are asking for higher wages, better healthcare, a share of profits, job security, and more.
  • Many of the employees say they will commit to the strike until the company meets their requirements, however, others are concerned about living off the estimated $250 of weekly assistance pay while the strike carries on.

Employees Strike

As General Motors and the United Automobile Workers union resume negotiations, GM employees are entering their second day of nationwide strikes.

Fair wages, affordable healthcare, fairer profit shares, job security, and a path to permanent employment for temps are all on the list of demands for the close to 50,000 GM workers striking throughout nine states today. This is the first strike in the U.S. auto industry since 2007, which was also led by GM workers. Striking began Sunday at midnight after a weekend of failed negotiations between GM and UAW. 

Their 2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement expired Saturday night, but the UAW declined to extend it. After negotiations ended, the UAW’s Vice President, Terry Dittes released a statement standing by his commitment to worker’s needs. 

“While we are fighting for better wages, affordable quality health care, and job security, GM refuses to put hard-working Americans ahead of their record profits of $35 billion in North America over the last three years,” he said. “We are united in our efforts to get an agreement our members and their families deserve.”

GM extended an offer to its employees that included over $7 billion in investments and 5,400 jobs. The deal also included wage or lump sum increases for every year of the four-year contract, an improved profit-sharing formula, and additional forms of health benefits.

Employees rejected that offer and went forward with their strike after this proposal, forcing GM to resume negotiations with UAW on Monday. 

“Our goal remains to reach an agreement that builds a stronger future for our employees and our business,” GM said in a statement announcing the continued talks. 

Potential Consequences of Strike

The strike does not come without potential consequences, not just for GM, but for the employees as well. Reports say GM could lose up to $90 million a day during the strike, but employees also stand to lose a lot. 

According to a Fox Business report, GM employees will have to wait 15 days to receive their assistance pay, which comes out to $250 a week. This barely covers rent in Detroit, a city that hosts many employees of the company. 

One Detroit-area employee, Patricia Brown, told the outlet that one of her main fears is “that we might be here for a while… and we can’t make it on $250 a week. You know, GM might not want to budge. So I’m just here trying to prove a point, that’s it.”

Still, some see the risk to be worth the reward. Ray Carter-Wilson, a single father also striking in the Detroit area told CNN he is comfortable striking for a long time as long as it all works out. 

“I understand the difficulty of the negotiations and the importance of them,” he said. “This being a lengthy strike, I’m fine with it as long as everything gets ironed out and is fair for everyone.” 

Politicians Support Strike

Strikers also have support from prominent public officials. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) said she was “inspired” by the workers. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also pointed out the wage inequality at the company while adding that he stood with the strike. 

See what others are saying: (Fox Business) (CNN) (The Hill)

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Kickstarter Faces Backlash After Firing Two Union Organizers

Published

6 days ago

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September 13, 2019

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  • Two employees at Kickstarter are claiming they were fired for organizing a union at the company, which would be illegal if confirmed.
  • People tied to Kickstarter, and others, are speaking out in favor of the employees and encouraging the company to not fight the union.
  • Kickstarter denies that the employee’s terminations had anything to do with unionizing and cited their performances, though some have pushed back on that argument.

Employees Allegedly Fired for Unionizing

Two employees at Kickstarter claim that they have been fired for organizing a union. If their accounts are true, the company would be in violation of U.S. labor laws. 

First reported by Slate, the two employees in question are Taylor Moore, who was fired Thursday, and Clarissa Redwine, who was fired last week. Moore posted a Twitter thread saying the company offered him one month’s severance in exchange for signing an NDA, but he turned it down. He claimed a third employee also lost their job over the matter. 

“Today a third prominent member of the union was told there is no place for him at the company,” Moore wrote. “I stand firm in solidarity with my friends and colleagues.”

“The union busting campaign that Kickstarter management is engaging in is illegal and wrong,” he added before urging other employees to unionize. “It is an unforgivable abandonment of the values of an organization that I have loved and served with my whole heart.”

Kickstarter Defends Itself

According to the National Labor Relations Board, workers have the right to unionize, which includes distributing union literature, wearing insignia, and soliciting and discussing the union with coworkers.

“You can’t be fired, disciplined, demoted, or penalized in any way for engaging in these activities,” the board says.

Kickstarter, however, claims the union had nothing to do with these terminations. According to a statement they gave to The Verge, the employees “failed to correct performance issues that were documented and discussed in detail with them over the course of several months.”

“This is not as interesting as a story about ‘union busting,’ but it is the reality of what happened here,” the statement added.

Kickstarter backed their statement up on Twitter as well.

Employee Refutes Kickstarter’s Claim

Redwine finds it hard to believe that job performance was really the catalyst. She tweeted that she did well on recent reviews. Other Twitter users also credited Redwine for being skilled at her job.

She also said she would not sign the NDA offered and told Kickstarter, “you can keep my severance.” 

According to Slate’s report, Redwine filed an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board citing that the offered severance contained an illegally phrased nondisparagement clause. Kickstarter confirmed to them that they received the filing.

Support for Kickstarter Employees

Many voices started speaking up for the fired employees and the employees unionizing.  Andy Baio, the company’s first CTO, who as of 2018 served as a fellow to the company said, “I support the team’s right to unionize, and believe the company should recognize the union.”

“I can’t possibly know with certainty why Taylor and Clarissa were let go, but it doesn’t look good,” he added.

Boots Riley, musician and director of the acclaimed 2018 film Sorry to Bother You said he stood with the union and told Kickstarter to “stop union busting.”

The Kickstarter United account, which speaks for the company’s organizers and workers, released a statement about the matter. The company said it was committed to Kickstarter’s mission and “will continue to support creators currently on the platform and in our alumni network.” It is asking creators not to boycott the company.

“We deeply appreciate the support from our community,” they added. “The work we are doing is not only in service of employees, but the artists, makers, and backers throughout the Kickstarter ecosystem.”

See what others are saying: (Slate) (The Verge) (Huff Post)

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