Ben & Jerry's declares 'murder' of Daunte Wright is 'rooted in white supremacy,' demands defunding police

Ben & Jerry's tweeted that the "murder" of Daunte Wright at the hands of police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, over the weekend "is rooted in white supremacy and results from the intentional criminalization of Black and Brown communities."

The ice cream giant — long known for using its platform to push left-wing sociopolitical agendas — added a "DefundThePolice" hashtag in its Monday tweet and also declared that "this system can't be reformed. It must be dismantled and a real system of public safety rebuilt from the ground up."

What's the background?

Wright was pulled over by police Sunday, after which he resisted arrest and was fatally shot by Officer Kim Potter, who said she intended to use her Taser but mistakenly grabbed her service weapon instead.

Authorities said Wright had expired vehicle tags — and it was reported that at the time of the traffic stop he had an outstanding warrant on an attempted robbery charge over an incident during which he allegedly choked a woman and held her at gunpoint.

Potter resigned Tuesday, along with Police Chief Tim Gannon, who was ordered by news conference attendees the previous day to refrain from referring to the post-shooting riot as a "riot." Just after the fatal shooting, a protester on a bullhorn urged a growing crowd to dox police, post photos of their families on social media, and "start doin' pull ups to their house."

In response to the fatal shooting, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) called for the end of policing and incarceration, claiming law enforcement systems are so broken they "can't be reformed." President Joe Biden backed away from Tlaib's declaration.

How did folks react to Ben & Jerry's tweet?

As you might expect, a bevy of leftists adored Ben & Jerry's stance against police, but others took the ice cream brand to task — among them author and professor Gad Saad. He replied, "Your brains are made of soft ice cream. You are a disgrace for 'racializing' everything. Stick to making ice cream and leave the faux-hysterics to @donlemon."

Others voiced similar sentiments:

• "Ben & Jerry's is inciting violence," another user stated. "They should be held accountable for their actions."
• "I'm sure you will be passing on all policing for your factories and the homes of your CEO, founder, and all major executives correct?" another commenter quipped. "And if robbed/assaulted/threatened you won't be calling the police, either, right?"
• "Never again will I purchase @benandjerrys Ice Cream!" another user declared.
• "You've just lost a customer and I'm willing to bet millions more because of your uneducated, ignorant race baiting," another commenter said. "SHAME ON YOU!!"
• "People should just be allowed to go into a shop and take every Ben & Jerry's ice-cream," another user opined. "You should be allowed no protection from those taking. It should be considered 'reparations.'"
• "I'm waiting for the Antifa flavored ice cream next," another commenter wrote.