Protester attempts to give Pepsi to Oregon mayor, is chastised, escorted out

PORTLAND, Ore. — In an obvious mockery of a recent, controversial Pepsi advertisement, a man attempted to hand a can of the beverage to a city mayor, only to be scolded and escorted out of a city council meeting in response to the gesture.

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The man, who identified himself as Carlos Enrique, attended a city council meeting in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday. Enrique addressed Mayor Ted Wheeler with what was expected to be a discussion about an ordinance that would allow the city to more easily tow boats left on city docks, People magazine reported.

Enrique, who claimed to be a former Boston Herald journalist who had recently moved to Oregon, said he has attended many city council meetings in different cities and noticed that citizens in Portland often responded to officials with anger and criticism -- more so than he had seen in other cities. According to KGW, multiple city council meetings have been delayed or canceled in recent months due to protesters' actions.

“It made me kind of wonder, how could someone just endure people coming and berating you every week? What I realized is that the language of resistance has not been properly translated to you,” Enrique said, feigning an attempt to better communicate with city officials. “So this is for you.”

Enrique then walked to the panel and handed Wheeler a Pepsi. He took another can out of his pocket and opened it for himself.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Wheeler said during the exchange.“Not a good move. Don’t do that again. Not a smart move.”

Enrique was escorted out.

“That was terrifying,” Commissioner Amanda Fritz said during the incident, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Enrique's move echoed a Pepsi advertisement released Wednesday, in which Kendall Jenner leaves a photo shoot to join a protest. The ad suggests a softened attitude from a police officer manning the protest after Jenner hands him a Pepsi. Many called the ad tone-deaf. Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter, had her own criticism of the ad.

>> Kendall Jenner, Pepsi slammed for tone-deaf commercial

Pepsi pulled the ad Wednesday and offered an apology.

The Boston Herald denied that Enrique had ever worked for the newspaper, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.