Ben & Jerry's Co-Founders Arrested During DC Protest

"If you care about something, you have to be willing to risk it all"

The co-founders of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream were arrested during a protest on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Monday, the company announced.

Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen were arrested along with hundreds of others during a widespread protest against money in politics and voting right infringements called Democracy Awakening, according to a statement from the company.

The company says its co-founders joined the protest because they believe that "if you care about something, you have to be willing to risk it all - your reputation, your values, your business - for the greater good."

Democracy Awakening and U.S. Capitol Police both announced Monday the arrests of about 300 people on the Capitol steps, though police didn't identify any of those who were arrested.

The people who were arrested were charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding, and were released on-scene after being processed, police said.

Capitol Police didn't immediately respond to a message left seeking comment on the arrests of Greenfield and Cohen. Democracy Awakening said the pair from the Vermont-based ice cream company were among those in its group, along with NAACP President Cornell William Brooks and radio personality Jim Hightower.

This isn't the first time the brains behind one of the most popular ice cream brands in America have spoken out on politics: Cohen recently unveiled a limited-edition ice cream flavor supporting 2016 hopeful Bernie Sanders.

Contact Us