Pepsi is having a weird 2017. The same day PepsiCo decided to pull their protest-trivializing new ad starring Kendall Jenner, a protester in Portland presented Mayor Ted Wheeler with a can of the recently maligned soda during a Portland City Council meeting. Aside from the gifted Pepsi confusion, the Oregonianreported, Wednesday's meeting was mostly "interruption-free."
Carlos Enrique first introduced himself as a former Boston Herald journalist, a claim the Daily Beast reported as false. Enrique then started to discuss how government officials could possibly "endure" protests from the public without letting it influence the inking of ordinances. "What I realized is that the language of resistance has not been properly translated to you, so this is for you," Enrique said before approaching the dais and presenting Wheeler with a Pepsi. Enrique was then "escorted from the meeting." In the video, you can clearly hear him crack open the soda on his way out.
This guy was clearly influenced by the brief existence of that aforementioned Pepsi ad, which featured Kendall Jenner handing a presumably cold can of Pepsi to a cop. The ad was criticized by many, including activist DeRay Mckesson, who said the video showed that companies and celebrities will exploit social justice work just for fame and visibility.
"Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding," Pepsi said in a statement Wednesday announcing their decision to pull the ad and halt the associated campaign. "Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position."
