Crime Scene

Ben & Jerry’s Co-founders Got Arrested for Protesting ‘Money in Politics’

Cohen and Greenfield.
Cohen and Greenfield. Photo: Courtesy of Ben & Jerry’s

Outspoken Bernie backers Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield ran into some trouble with the law while protesting a very Sanders-esque cause Monday in Washington, D.C. The ice-cream-makers joined up with several hundred others for “Democracy Awakening,” an event on the Capitol’s steps to protest “money in politics” that Capitol Police ultimately broke up. About 300 participants were charged with crowding, obstructing, or incommoding, then released to (let’s be honest here) go brag about their new crimes on social media.Which is exactly what Ben & Jerry’s did following the incident: The company blogged that the duo were just guilty of putting a little walk with their talk (“The history of our country is that nothing happens until people start putting their bodies on the line and risk getting arrested”), then tweeted a few shots of the two in action:

Not that either co-founder ever runs from controversy — they’ve proudly sold the 4/20-friendliest ice cream of all time, renamed their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor “I Dough, I Dough” after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, and even laughed at earnest claims that Hazed & Confusion was evil because it was pro–college hazing. Cohen has been particularly active this election cycle trying to convince fence-sitters to support his home-state senator, a goal he probably hoped an arrest would help. He whipped up a homemade batch of an unofficial flavor he calls “Bernie’s Yearning” that’s got a giant solid-chocolate layer over the top. It represents “all the wealth that’s gone to the top 1% of the population over the past 10 years,” and he’s explained the way you get past the chocolate is by “whack[ing] it with your spoon, then you mix it around.”

[CNN, Ben & Jerry’s]

Ben & Jerry’s Co-founders Arrested