Voice Of The Millennial

Where Conversations About Controversial Issues That Affect Our World Are Discussed

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⁣ The National Rifle Association (NRA) has worked with state legislators over the past few decades to institute pre-emption laws in regards to gun-control. ⁣ ⁣ Pre-emption means that Federal laws overrule State laws and State laws overrule municipality/Local lawmakers. It is made difficult/near impossible for a smaller form of government to make a law for any issue a higher form of government has already made a decision on.⁣ ⁣ “Pre-emption, in the constitutional context, refers to the pecking order of legislation: Federal trumps state, and, in much of the United States, states trump municipalities [/mayors/local law makers] when it comes to gun regulation. A typical pre-emption law says that the state legislature occupies “the whole field” of firearms regulation, and declares municipal ordinances, like bans on assaults weapons  or mandatory reporting of stolen guns, “null and void.””⁣ ⁣ The gun lobby began utilizing pre-emptions as a method in 1981. Local/city gun rights groups would sue local lawmakers who attempted to limit their sell of guns freely. The NRA used its power and influence to collaborate with state-based gun rights groups to support the successful institution of pre-emption laws in 44 states across the U.S. ⁣ ⁣ “The five states that allow cities to enact their own gun laws without restriction — Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — are also the states with the lowest rates of gun death.”⁣ ⁣ When a local government (city/mayor) attempts to pass a gun control law, gun groups can sue the city and in certain states even the lawmaker(s)/mayor directly on the grounds that their law violates the states pre-emption law. The city and the lawmaker would have to pay damages and attorneys’ fees to the winning side. In most cases, it is the NRA or its local affiliates who sue. ⁣ ⁣ #GunControl #MassShootings #GunLaws #Police #2ndAmendment #GunSafety #SandyHook #ElPasoShooting #DaytonOhioShooting #GilroyCaliforniaShooting #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: thetrace.org (at United States) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1DMMtjDkOx/?igshid=1vsxzvcjn1u5t

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⁣ Surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists have researched and observed that patients who smoke marijuana can have a resistance to anesthesia while going under the knife. They are also finding that depending on a patient’s history with smoking weed, it can either improve or negatively impact their symptoms post-surgery. ⁣ ⁣ Since the 2014 legalization of recreational weed in Colorado, residents have shown to be more likely to tell their doctors they smoke weed. A 2017 study showed that 17% of Colorado residents admitted to using marijuana compared to 8% back in 2006. ⁣ ⁣ One small study showed that marijuana users required triple the amount of the sedation medicine, propofol, than did non marijuana smoking patients. ⁣ ⁣ The impact that marijuana has on patients is unknown due to it still being illegal on the federal level which makes it difficult to fund the proper and necessary studies. The current findings have prompted the following questions:⁣ ⁣ * If pot users indeed need more anesthesia, are there increased risks for breathing problems during minor procedures? ⁣ * Are there higher costs with the use of more medication, if a second or third bottle of anesthesia must be routinely opened? ⁣ * And what does regular cannabis use mean for recovery post-surgery?⁣ ⁣ Many nurses and doctors around the country agree that patients need to divulge information about whether or not they smoke marijuana - even in the states where it is still illegal. Having a potential higher tolerance toward sedation drugs must be noted for doctors to provide the best care. Higher doses of sedation drugs for marijuana users can increase potentially serious side effects such as low blood pressure and depressed heart function.⁣ ⁣ #Weed #Marijuana #Colorado #HealthCare #Hospitals #Doctors #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: NBCNews.com⁣ https://www.instagram.com/p/B0tOJiyDrHA/?igshid=1dx3xluu4ocwa

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⁣ US Foods nationally surveyed 500 deliverers and over 1,500 customers about their experiences using food delivery apps. The age of respondents ranged from 18 to 77 years-old and the median age of deliverers was calculated at 30 years old. ⁣ ⁣ • 54% of the 500 deliverers surveyed responded that they had been tempted at one point to eat some of the food they were delivering. About 27% (135) of the 500 deliverers actually admitted to following through and eating some of the customers food.⁣ ⁣ • “When asked if they minded if their driver snagged a few fries, the average customer response was an 8.4 out of 10 — 1 represented "no big deal" and 10 signified "absolutely unacceptable."⁣ ⁣ “In an online chat, a Grubhub representative said if a customer suspects that some of the food is missing, the company will potentially open an investigation and make a refund.”⁣ ⁣ “UberEats and DoorDash haven't responded to NPR's request for comment.”⁣ ⁣ “In its delivery guidelines, UberEats said it will deactivate any account with fraudulent activity or misuse, including "claiming to complete a delivery without ever picking up the delivery item; and picking up a delivery item but not delivering it in full."⁣ ⁣ “Doordash directs its drivers to not open food containers or tamper with the order in any way. If a customer suspects food tampering, the company states it will deactivate the driver's account.”⁣ ⁣ #UberEats #DoorDash #GrubHub #Postmates #FoodDelivery #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: USFoods.com, NPR.org https://www.instagram.com/p/B0pAKliDqTd/?igshid=1gzxzmq15moxs

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⁣ Thousands of unidentified bones have been found underneath the Vatican in Rome, Italy during a search for the remains of a child of a Vatican worker who went missing in 1983, Emanuela Orlandi. ⁣ ⁣ An anonymous tip prompted the local authorities to check the Vatican for the remains and Vatican officials agreed to the search. The bones are predicted to belong to a few dozen bodies and will take weeks to sort through and identify. ⁣ ⁣ “The Vatican has always denied that it has information on Emanuela’s disappearance and has said it has given support to the family over these years. It says the decision to follow the latest tip received by the family shows their willingness to help the family.”⁣ ⁣ “Meanwhile, the sweltering July heat didn't deter supporters of the girl's family -- wearing T-shirts and holding posters with her photo -- from lining the fence of one of the Vatican gates.”⁣ ⁣ #Vatican #TheVatican #Catholic #CatholicFaith #Christianity #Italy #Rome #Europe #EmanuelaOrlandi #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: ABCNews.com (at Vaticano, Roma) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Tk3S1D7qe/?igshid=1csprouzhdgfn

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⁣⁣⁣ Back on August 9th, 2016 during a demonstration with civilians in Punta Gorda, Florida to show the types of struggles police officers go through, officer Lee Coel shot and killed 73 year-old Mary Knowlton. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ It was decided a lethal force simulation would be held at the police station in Punta Gorda and Mary was selected with another volunteer to participate. Mary played the role of the cop and the officer took the role of aggressor. Rather than firing blanks at cop role Mary, Officer Coel fired two live bullets resulting in Mary falling to the ground. Occurring so suddenly and I expectantly, the 30 spectators believed Mary was playing the part of the robber until they flipped her over and realized she had a hole in her chest and was bleeding. CPR was attempted by officers before transporting her to the hospital where she died an hour later.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Fast forward to 2019, it is almost the 3 year anniversary of her death and Officer Coel has yet to stand trial for a manslaughter charge and is free on bond. Coel remained on the job for 7 months after her death before being fired once the state attorney filed charges. Coel was scheduled to stand trial last month in June, but his date has now been moved for the third time to Oct. 15, 2019. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ “I haven’t given up hope,” Steve Knowlton (son of victim) says, “but I don’t think we’re going to get justice.”⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ #MAGA #MakeAmericaGreatAgain #BlueLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatter #Florida #PuntaGorda #PuntaGordaFlorida #GunRights #GunLaws #2ndAmendment #MaryKnowlton #LeeCoel #PuntaGordaPoliceDepartment #VOTM⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Sources: CBS.com, ABCNews.com, Time.com (at Punta Gorda Police Department) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0SUBb7D-QQ/?igshid=2u8hf6ffyx4c

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⁣ Inmate-on-Inmate homicides in county jails have risen 46% statewide in California after the 2011 prison reform transferred thousands of inmates from state prisons to local county jails. In certain counties, homicides have tripled and even quadrupled. This reform was done to decrease prison population as overcrowded prisons violate the United States constitution under the 8th Amendment - cruel and unusual punishment. ⁣ ⁣ The sheriffs at local jails were/are not prepared for the type of inmates they have now had to oversee due to the transfer. For reasons centered on being too understaffed to supervise the facilities, inability to protect the jail population and inability to provide adequate services. The deaths and conditions that were seen in state prisons are now being seen in local jails.⁣ ⁣ Across the 56 counties in California, 70,000 inmates with multi-year sentences are being held in local jails designed to hold people for no longer than one year. From 12 killings in the 7 years prior to 2011 to 30 killings in the 7 years since, a 150% increase in homicides has been recorded across all counties. At least 3/4’s (22) of the 30 killings were of citizens sent to jail that had not been convicted of a crime and were awaiting trial. Some of the victims were just hours away from being released to go home. ⁣ ⁣ The “realignment” prison reforms purpose has been to change the statutes of the California penal and motor vehicle codes to stop people who commit non-violent offenses from being sent to jail unnecessarily. Critics of the prison reform argued that violent street crime would increase, but that has not happened since reform started in 2011. ⁣ ⁣ Michael Bien, a lawyer representing inmates in lawsuits against California prisons and several county jails said, “We know that incarcerating someone in a place where you don’t have anything to do is likely to lead to violence, mental illness, stress, suicide, all sorts of things.”⁣ ⁣ #MAGA #DonaldTrump #PrisonReform #BlueLivesMatter #MakeAmericaGreatAgain #BlackLivesMatter #FirstStepAct #KimKardashian #AllLivesMatter #ExplorePage #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: McClatchyDC.com, ProPublica.com https://www.instagram.com/p/B0M82snj_ae/?igshid=clu0ehrz6pg4

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⁣ 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 -⁣ New Jersey Judge James Troiano, responsible for overseeing an adolescent rape case in 2018, has requested of his own volition to resign after receiving backlash from the appeals court following his lenient decision towards the rapist.⁣ ⁣ The judge is reported saying that rape ““tradition[ally]” involved two or more males using a weapon to threaten a victim in an “abandon[ed] house,” “shed” or “shack” — criteria that does not fall in line with the victims situation. Judge Troiano’s response to the rapists self incriminating video with the message, “When your first time having sex is rape” was that it was “just a 16-year-old kid saying stupid crap to his friends.” ⁣ ⁣ As reason for not deciding to charge the young man as an adult, Judge Troiano explained that the young man is an Eagle Scout and “comes from a good family who put him in an excellent school where he was doing extremely well.”⁣ ⁣ Troiano originally retired back in 2012, but was asked by Monmouth County Superior Court to return part-time to assist with the amount of cases which outnumbered the existing judges.⁣ ⁣ Troiano submitted his resignation on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 and his position was immediately terminated by the State Supreme Court.⁣ ⁣ #MAGA #MeToo #NewJersey #JamesTroiano #MonmouthCountySuperiorCourt #EagleScouts #BoyScouts #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: NewYorkPost.com, nj1015.com (at Monmouth County, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Mh3TKjkvl/?igshid=1aqizrfsf0yq0

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⁣⁣ “Between 1910 and 1997, African Americans lost about 90% of their farmland in Southern states. Since 1910, black families have been stripped of hundreds of billions of dollars because of lost land. This is due to the older generations not having created wills and listing their land legally to their descendants.” ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ “Heirs’ property is a form of ownership in which descendants inherit an interest, like holding stock in a company. The practice began during Reconstruction, when many African Americans didn’t have access to the legal system, and it continued through the Jim Crow era (1960’s), when black communities were suspicious of white Southern courts. In the United States today, 76% of African Americans do not have a will, more than twice the percentage of white Americans. Many assume that not having a will keeps land in the family. In reality, it jeopardizes ownership.”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ “David Dietrich, a former co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Property Preservation Task Force, has called heirs’ property “the worst problem you never heard of.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recognized it as “the leading cause of Black involuntary land loss.” Heirs’ property is estimated to make up more than a third of Southern black-owned land — 3.5 million acres, worth more than $28 billion.”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ “These landowners are vulnerable to laws and loopholes that allow speculators and developers to acquire their property. Black families watch as their land is auctioned on courthouse steps or forced into a sale against their will.”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ “This problem is a major contributor to America’s racial wealth gap; the median wealth among black families is about a tenth that of white families. Now, as reparations have become a subject of national debate, the issue of black land loss is receiving renewed attention. A group of economists and statisticians recently calculated that, since 1910, black families have been stripped of hundreds of billions of dollars because of lost land.”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #BlackLivesMatter #BlackDollar #LandOwnership #Farmers #ReparationsForSlavery #AllLivesMatter #MAGA #Reparations #Cowboy #Texas #NorthCarolina #Southern #VOTM⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Sources: ProPublica.com (at Carteret County, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_J9jLje8o/?igshid=h4ciphz54y7i

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⁣⁣ In 2007 in Richmond, California a collaboration with the Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) and the city of Richmond fostered the creation of Operation Peacemaker (OP). OP is a program that hires ex-cons as mentors for high profile young offenders to not only encourage and support them in turning away from a life of crime and gang violence, but provide them with internship and job opportunities. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ A record 47 homicides were committed in 2007, more than eight times the national average. By 2008, after the establishment of the program, the killings dropped by 40%. However, in 2009, the homicides rose to 47 again due to a miscalculation in where to focus mentorship. Rather than focusing intervention in high risk areas, attention needed to be focused with high risk people who create those areas.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ OP is an 18-month program. After 6-months of being in the program, the young men can apply for a monthly stipend which can reach up to $1000 depending on their participation and achievements. Most earn about $300 to $750 a month. They can make money for up to 9-months. Once these men complete the program, they can re-apply, but most move on into the world to live reformed lives. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Along with the stipend, the young men meet with mothers who have lost their sons to gun violence, create a life map detailing the barriers they face and how to overcome them, meet with anger-management experts, visit colleges and meet with business leaders, and are given the opportunity through private donations to travel to different parts of America as well as outside of the country while being paired up with a rival whom has been suspected of trying to kill them or visa versa in order for them to share their stories and to allow them to see each other as human beings and heal.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Gun violence costs America more than $229 billion per year for emergency and medical care for gunshot wounds. Gun violence on average costs more than $700 per American every year and $1400 per resident in certain states.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #GunViolence #Crips #Bloods #Richmond #OperationPeacemaker #DeVoneBoggan #GangViolence #OfficeOfNeighborhoodSafety #ONS #MAGA #VOTM⁣⁣ ⁣ Sources: lawcenter.giffords.org, CNN.com⁣ (at Richmond, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8spzFjoQk/?igshid=ys3733ouymxi

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⁣ The homeless population in San Francisco has reached over 8,000 and the response from the wealthy community is to cancel any and all projects that would put them in homes. ⁣ ⁣ Funded through a GoFundMe page, wealthy community members have raise over $102,00 to hire lawyers against the City of San Francisco itself to stop the planned creation of homeless shelters. The lawsuit states:⁣ “This project will have a significant effect on the environment due to these unusual circumstances, including by attracting additional homeless persons, open drug and alcohol use, crime, daily emergency calls, public urination and defecation, and other nuisances.” ⁣ ⁣ By calling on the California Environmental Quality Act, wealthy residents argue that the construction company has not evaluated all of the environmental impacts building the homeless shelter could create. ⁣ ⁣ The city of San Francisco gave a rebuttal by arguing that the planned 200-bed temporary homeless shelter is exempt from the Act. A city attorney for San Fran has stated that the construction project has already undergone all the required environmental reviews. The city Board of Supervisors has denied several appeals under the California Environmental Quality Act.⁣ ⁣ #BayArea #Homelessness #SanFran #SanFrancisco #Humanitarian #HumanitarianCrisis #MAGA #MakeAmericaGreatAgain #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: TheGuardian.com (at San Francisco, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz63nx6Drzm/?igshid=32ntn2d1odwn

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⁣ Across the globe, young adults are not having children at the rate that older generations have had in the past. The fall in birth rates and rise in the elderly demographic will result in the following developments:⁣ ⁣ With more elderly populations, comes:⁣ * Higher expenses to care for them (more expensive than caring for babies)⁣ * Figuring out how to provide long-term care⁣ * How to structure pension systems (funds that provide retirement income)⁣ * Coming up with a way to maintain a labor force⁣ ⁣ The main reason for the decrease in birthing rates? Fertility. Longer life expectancy within the elderly is why that demographic continues to expand. ⁣ ⁣ By 2050, the world population of human beings 65 years and up will reach 16%, compared to the world population of children under 5 years-old which will stand at less than 8%. Other countries where the elderly population is exceeding the younger population are Europe, Japan, North America and majority of other developed countries.⁣ ⁣ The United States of America still has one of the highest percentages of young people compared to its elderly population out of majority developing countries primarily due to the fertility of immigrants entering the country.⁣ ⁣ “Fertility rates are near or below replacement level in all world regions except Africa🌍.“ ⁣ ⁣ There are some benefits to a decreased younger population. For example, governments can focus more resources on secondary and higher education, as well as boost the economy. ⁣ ⁣ #MAGA #AbortionBills #BabiesLivesMatter #ProChoice #ProLife #WomensRights #Feminism #BlackLivesMatter #Feminist #MakeAmericaGreatAgain #BrownLivesMatter #Immigration #AntiVax #ProVax #HealthCare #Abortion #ProBirth #Birth #Babies #BabyBoomers #Africa #Japan #Europe #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: NationalGeographic.com, EWTN https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz3Xe0hjTt1/?igshid=1q1w3jk98q5y4

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⁣ Scientist at Temple University and the University of Nebraska Medical Center successfully removed HIV in 9 out of 23 mice whose DNA were modified to more closely mimic that of humans. This was made possible by using the gene editor tool CRISPR and an experimental antiviral drug. ⁣ ⁣ Clinical trials (done on human beings) could be expected to being as soon as next year if the Food & Drug Administration approves, however, these scientists admit that trying the research on humans rather than mice is much more complicated. There are multiple risk factors due to the newness of this research that include:⁣ ⁣ * The possibility of damaging human DNA in the attempt to successfully eradicate 100% of the HIV virus⁣ * Dealing with variations of HIV in people⁣ * Difficulties in delivering the technology to certain demographics of people.⁣ ⁣ HIV affects 37 million people worldwide according The the World Health Organization (WHO). Scientists have known how to effectively illuminate HIV for some time, but the necessary technology of gene editing was not available until recently. Nearly 1 million people died due to HIV in 2017. ⁣ ⁣ Currently, individuals who carry HIV take a pill every day to combat the infection to prevent it from spreading. Scientists are working on a better/more powerful drug that will only need to be taken every couple of months, instead of every day. It is still an experimental drug, so it is not cleared to be publicly available.⁣ ⁣ Next, scientists will move on to eliminating HIV in trials with monkeys. ⁣ ⁣ #HIV #HIVCure #PETA #TempleUniversity #UniversityOfNebraskaMedicalCenter #AnimalRights #AnimalActivists #BlackLivesMatter #BabiesLivesMatter #AllLivesMatter #HumanRights #Humanitarian #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: WashingtonPost.com, cdc.org, cambridge.org https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzzfmc_DPP_/?igshid=1sz1s3ix5q0b

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⁣ On June 9th, 2019 in Freeport, Illinois, Shaquille Dukes, his boyfriend Marqwandrick Morrison and his brother Semi Racks were arrested for misdemeanor disorderly conduct after a hospital security guard called the police and accused the men of attempting to steal an IV. ⁣ ⁣ While vacationing from Chicago, Illinois Shaquille contracted double pneumonia (both lungs infected) and was being treated at FHN Memorial Hospital. After the second day at the hospital, Shaquille asked his doctor if he could walk outside to get some fresh air. Shortly after, Shaquille and his loved ones were interrupted by a hospital security guard who asked them if they were attempting to “leave the hospital and sell the IV equipment on eBay."⁣ ⁣ Marqwandrick Morrison began recording the encounter after the guard accused them. This is when the guard then called 911 for backup stating, “I have three black males attempting to steal medical equipment from the hospital." Once police arrived, Shaquille says they confiscated his emergency inhaler and removed his IV from his arm before handcuffing he and his family. ⁣ ⁣ While on the way to the police station, Shaquille suffered an asthma attack and asked for his inhaler, but was denied by the officer until they arrived at the station and not until the paramedics came into contact with him. Shaquille was then sent back to the hospital in the police car while still handcuffed.⁣ ⁣ Freeport, Illinois PD has appointed Hazel Crest, Illinois Police Chief and member of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, Mitch Davis, as the independent investigator for this incident. FHN Memorial Hospital has declined to comment citing patient confidentiality and has said they are cooperating with the police investigation.⁣ ⁣ #FreeportIllinois #Chicago #Illinois #FHNMemorialHospital #FreeportPD #HazelCrestPD #AssociationOfChiefsOfPolice #ShaquilleDukes #MarqwandrickMorrison #SemiRacks #BlackLivesMatter #MAGA #BlueLivesMatter #ExplorePage #BrookeBaldwin #VOTM⁣ ⁣ Sources: CNN.com, wrex.com (at FHN Memorial Hospital) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzx_me0DPIS/?igshid=1r6fdw1frcw8l

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⁣⁣ Police say the video of a young woman in Lufkin, Texas licking a new container of ice cream then putting it back on the shelf was recorded on June 28th at around 11:00pm. The suspect has been identified as a minor and is originally from San Antonio, Texas. Her name cannot be released as is law for individuals under 17 years-old. Had she been over 17 yrs-old, she would have been charged with a second-degree felony for tampering with a consumer product. She would have faced 2-20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Her case is now being handled by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The person who brought her to Lufkin, Texas and recorded the video was her adult boyfriend. Police are determining with prosecutors what course of action will be taken with him for his involvement. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Blue Bell Ice Cream was able to determine which store the crime was committed by contacting all division managers. In less than an hour after corporate sent the message, an employee from a Walmart in Lufkin confirmed the location thanks to the stores unique merchandising that matched the video. They were able to find the exact container and also replaced all of the Blue Bell Ice Cream as a precaution. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The identification process of the young woman in the video was delayed due to multiple accounts having similar usernames as the suspect. There was also an account that was falsely taking credit for the video and posted the message, “Yeah, I really did that. You can call it Flu Bell ice cream now 'cause I was a lil sick last week. Repost yourself doing this. Let's see if we can start an epidemic (literally)."⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #BlueBellIceCream #LufkinTexas #Texas #BlueBellLicker #SanAntonioTexas #Lufkin #SanAntonio #ExplorePage #VOTM⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Sources: npr.com, thehill.com, today.com, Inside Edition (at Lufkin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzx-XFmACQa/?igshid=ozkvlm4i6l85