I’m sure many of you have heard of #permitpatty over the weekend, but just in case, I thought I would bring it to the attention of our community given our far outreach
Here is a link for anybody who doesn’t know who permitpatty is just yet:
I think this is something we should discuss openly and professionally so that we as a community can learn from her mistake.
I’ll start:
What this woman has done is nothing less than shameful. It is a black mark on the community which was created in a sensitive time in our history. Even when race is not considered as part of the issue (I’m not going to call her a racist because I don’t believe that was her motivation, although she should have considered that before she acted), the fact still remains that she called the cops on an 8 year old! And for what? Because she was annoyed with their yelling?(according to her). They’re kids in a public space, let them be kids!
Secondly, she probably just destroyed the kid’s entrepreneurial spirit. I wish I had the mindset to sell bottles of water when I was that age. Now that child could be traumatized from this experience and could suffer later in life because of it.
All because the kid was trying to raise money to go to Disneyland. Not impressed #permitpatty.
She showed her true colors. Adults should be mature enough to ask someone to “please lower their voice” rather than resorting to calling the cops on an 8 year old. I’m disappointed that she is associated with the cannabis industry.
Definitely seems like a serious mishandling of what was happening. If they were being loud and noisy, she should’ve spoken with them first, like an adult. If they didn’t quiet down, that’s when you call police specifically about a noise complaint, not a permitting issue.
I can see where the lapse in judgement occurred though. I know when I was stressed in the education industry, I could make rash decisions that might have ended poorly. This is why it’s important as an adult to learn to take deep breaths and think first.
I didn’t get a chance to read your rant, and I want you to know that this thread was created for that. I know we all need to be professional here and give the personality of our respective company, but this is something that should be discussed openly in the community. I am sure there are supporters on both sides of the river here, and I think this platform is a great way for us to discuss this situation as a whole.
So weather we agree on points or not, I would be open to hearing your professional rant on the situation.
I will take it to that place and say she is racists and/or just a plain old horrible person.The fact that she had to think of another reason to call the police aside from her main complaint of noise, shows she just wanted the kid to get in trouble. Id like to wonder what she would have done if it was white kids selling lemonade or girl scouts selling cookiees. As far as I know Girl scouts don’t have permits to sell outside on streets, but normal people let it be because it not creating any direct harm to anyone.
Regardless this lady is a POS human being and she should have been cited and/or fined for wasting US tax dollars on petty shit. This kinda stuff makes me sick.We all have bad days, whether you do or do not take it out on others shows your true character .
I’ve been thinking about this on my drive to pick up my son today. With limited information given to everybody in this age of technology, it’s easy to jump the gun and make assumptions. I feel I am just as guilty as everyone else. I don’t know this lady I don’t know what was going on with their day in her life and I also believe that everyone is allowed to make mistakes. The one big bummer about this is that this lady made a mistake and now that it is gone “Viral “she’s going to be paying for this mistake for the rest of her life. Now I’m not sure which is worse, the fact that she can’t make a mistake or what she did. I think that that should be the heart of the debate.
You bring up a good point. And it is important to remember that we are all humans who make mistakes. But that being said, when she decided to enter the Cannabis industry, she should have understood that we are always under the watch of the public eye. She isn’t a local, small business owner trying to make ends meet. She runs a successful corporation which I can only assume profits in the millions annually. With that comes responsibility and obligations. Even though my company technically doesn’t exist yet, I have still made public appearances representing the industry here in Canada. Now whenever I go outside, I make sure I’m well dressed, I have a smile on my face, say good day to people and overall represent my company and our community. Just in case I have some body who is anti weed come and start yelling at me, I’m ready for it and capable of handling it well.
If she was the CEO of a standard dog food company, the public would be in an uproar and demand the resignation of that person. We have seen many sex scandals come to light in recent years and many executive level people have lost their jobs and their reputations because of it.
She knew the responsibility when she started her company, at least she should have. You can’t let a stressful day impact the way you interact in society.
At the end of the day I think your analogy of girl scouts selling cookies hits the nail right on the head. Instead of calling the cops, how many boxes would she have bought?
Thanks for posting your reasoning on this situation. I believe there is no more powerful court than the court of public opinion. I think you are absolutely right here: this woman will be paying dearly for the rest of her life, all because she let loose on some poor little girl scouts! I assure you her shortsighted actions and resultant rant will have a ripple effect on her existence for-ev-er! This is a great convo!
To me, as PR professional, this is a lesson on several fronts, many of which are different from the valid concerns about race and the implications on our industry.
First is the acknowledgment that most of us view social media as a tool - but live by the sword die by the sword. Today’s crisis’ spin faster than ever before and ALL CEO’s and public personalities have to understand that their actions can be recorded at any moment and can have severe implications for their business. This is something I really emphasize to all my clients because once I start “putting them out there,” whether they like it or not they are public representatives of their company and our industry.
Second, to your point @bryan.eden our industry is still struggling with acceptance. We owe it to ourselves and the long-term viability of our industry to expect more from ourselves and be the very best we can be. Does this mean we won’t have some really nasty bad eggs? No. But as an industry, if we treat ourselves, our community, our customers and our businesses like professionals, when situations like this happen, it won’t be a reflection of the entire industry, but of one bad egg. To use the example someone said above, if a dog food company CEO acts like a idiot, everyone doesn’t immediately shake their heads and question whether there should even BE a dog food industry, rather the brand and the person take the heat. Keep in mind that the reason this is important is that there’s nothing more confirming to those who oppose our industry than having a bad egg as an example and frankly, it’s too good of a headline for the press not to cover it.
This won’t be the last cannabis industry person to create a black mark, but we can defend ourselves and our industry as a whole by being the very best we can be. Are we going to make mistakes, yep. But the stakes are higher for us right now and that’s important to remember.
