- Portland cook August Winningham has launched a hot sauce named after Portland mayor and police commissioner Ted Wheeler.
- Tear Gas Ted’s Hot Sauce is available for free – but customers have to donate to a social justice nonprofit first.
- Wheeler has faced criticism for failing to curb heavy-handed policing in Portland during protests that began after the killing of George Floyd.
- Wheeler himself was hit by tear gas while visiting a protest in July, and an image of him in goggles and a mask adorns the bottles.
- “I just figured that [would] be a nice little way to bring awareness to the fact that Ted Wheeler is responsible for the way his police force has been acting,” said cook August Winningham.
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A cook in Portland, Oregon has developed a hot sauce called Tear Gas Ted – named after the city’s mayor and police commissioner Ted Wheeler.
An image of Wheeler in goggles and a mask adorns the bottles.
Racial equality protesters in Portland, who began protesting after the killing of George Floyd in May, have criticized Wheeler for failing to curb heavy-handed police tactics.
Wheeler in September banned the use of the gas, which burns the eyes and causes crying, coughing, and breathing difficulties.
But that was after he was left choking by tear gas in July when federal agents sprayed a crowd during a police brutality protest that he was visiting.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
It was this sight that inspired protester and cook August Winningham to launch the sauce.
"I just figured that [would] be a nice little way to bring awareness to the fact that Ted Wheeler is responsible for the way his police force has been acting," he told Willamette Week. "Just to get that image out there in any small way that I can."
He added that "watching protesters get tear-gassed and beat the s--t out of, experiencing that myself a couple of times, [left me] feeling really overwhelmed and needing to do something, however small."
The sauce contains peppers such as serranos, jalapenos, and tomatillos, but Winningham is currently experimenting with carrot, habanero, and smoked pineapple.
The bottles are free, with Winningham himself funding the production, but customers must donate at least $10 to Don't Shoot Portland, a social justice nonprofit.
The bottle has labels including "Invest in Community" and "Black Lives Matter."
Winningham said he was considering shipping the bottles beyond Portland — his first batch of 75 bottles were all gone within a weekend
But he told Eater that his intention was "never to build a business or make money, it was a really small way to raise awareness."
A week after Wheeler banned tear gas, protesters in the city reported facing it during protests. Wheeler denied these claims.