Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has stirred the pot again, unveiling a new ice cream flavor called Maxi Hearts of Minneapolis to honor Renee Good and Alex Pretti—two activists tied to the 2020 Minneapolis riots that torched the city after George Floyd’s death. In his announcement, Cohen declared, “We all need to stand up to march to protest, because all of America is Minneapolis now,” framing the flavor as a sweet tribute to those who, in his view, embody resistance against police brutality. But let’s scoop deeper: Good and Pretti aren’t your average community organizers. They’re linked to No Kings Collective, a radical outfit that openly advocates abolishing police and ICE while pushing for community self-defense models—code for arming activists to replace law enforcement. This isn’t just cherry-on-top flavor innovation; it’s Cohen weaponizing nostalgia for chaos, glorifying the very unrest that saw over 1,500 businesses looted or burned, including gun stores stripped bare by opportunists.
For the 2A community, this sundae of sanctimony hits like a sugar crash with real-world implications. Cohen’s rhetoric echoes the anti-police fervor that fueled demands to defund law enforcement, leaving Minneapolis a crime-riddled shell—homicides up 75% post-2020, per FBI data, with armed robberies surging as cops faced slashed budgets and morale. By lionizing figures like Pretti, who’s celebrated for mutual aid networks that skirt traditional policing, Cohen implicitly endorses vigilante justice over constitutional protections. Yet here’s the irony dripping like melted caramel: the same riots his flavor immortalizes saw widespread illegal gun grabs from shops like 5th Degree Armory, where looters made off with ARs and handguns amid zero police response. 2A advocates have long warned that defund the police means civilians must defend themselves—hello, self-reliance. Cohen’s stunt underscores why armed citizens are the ultimate backstop when progressive flavors of the month cheerlead for anarchy.
This isn’t mere corporate virtue-signaling; it’s a cultural Molotov cocktail aimed at eroding the rule of law that safeguards our rights. As America grapples with rising crime in defunded blue cities (Chicago’s 2023 murders topped 600, mostly in progressive zones), Cohen’s ice cream invites 2A folks to counter with cold facts: the Second Amendment thrives precisely because Minneapolis moments expose the folly of disarming the law-abiding while radicals play hero. Next time you pass on Ben & Jerry’s, grab some ammo instead—it’s the flavor that keeps tyranny chilled.
