The co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream knew he was disturbing the peace with a noisy demonstration against fighter jets.
Ben Cohen told the Burlington Free Press that’s exactly the point.
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Cohen was one of three activists arrested for disorderly conduct Saturday after blasting jet noise from a mobile public address system in Burlington, Vt.
LISTEN: Protesters drive around Burlington, Vermont blasting F-35 sounds from giant speakers
He said the goal was to simulate what it might be like for residents living under the flight path of Vermont National Guard F-35 fighters.
“It’s a disturbance once for the people that are going to hear this demonstration, it’s a disturbance, it is a physically and cognitively destructive impact on people’s lives who are going to live in this zone day in, day out,” Cohen told WCAX.
He tweeted that if he violated the city noise ordinance then the fighter jets will, too.
Burlington voters will weigh in Tuesday on whether city officials should oppose F-35s at the Burlington International Airport. Critics say the F-35s are noisier than fighters currently used by the Vermont National Guard.