Over the weekend, a video of Alison Ettel pretending to call the police on 8-year-old Jordan Rodgers went viral. Ettel, who is a white woman, received endless backlash from the internet, which labeled her as racist for attempting to scare a little ethnic girl with the thought of the police. Jordan's mother, Erin Austin, can be heard in the video calling Ettel out for "calling the police." In the clip, Ettel claims that the girl has no permit to sell water, and uses that as her excuse to alert authorities. After the video went viral, Ettel, who has since been dubbed Permit Patty, sat down with CNN to explain herself.
"I was working from home. I was on some extreme deadlines," Ettel stated. "At the time, there was somebody shouting outside continuously. It was going on for a couple hours. I couldn't concentrate at all." Austin claims that her child was not being loud, and that Ettel stormed up to her and asked about a permit without commenting about loud noises. The internet did what it does best, and several social media warriors discovered that Ettel was the CEO of TreatWell Health, a legal marijuana company that sells edibles and other products. After angered consumers threatened to boycott the company, Ettel was forced to step down from her position.
According to ABC7 in San Fransisco, TreatWell Health released a statement that read, "Alison Ettel, CEO of TreatWell Health, has resigned, effective immediately." They continued on to state, "We are aware of the tumultuous tide of racism in this country and agree that its very existence has no place anywhere, especially in the Cannabis industry. Rather, we respect all family values, virtues and religious beliefs, lifestyles and we are supportive of all. And as a company we refute all notions of prejudice."