Turns Out the Founder is a convicted Cocaine Dealer
“Freedom Industries Inc.” may be in some serious trouble after what was done to the good people of West Virginia. The Mountain State has been forced to declare a State of Emergency. The smell started early Thursday morning when the corporation had major chemical spill directly into the Elk River (including chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol used to wash coal in big coal industry) which has contaminated most of the Kanawha Valley’s water, affecting hundreds of thousands in Mountain State. This is not the kind of chemical that can be boiled out of the water. Most are left with no water as bottled water has run out at stores and people began fist fights in Walmart over the few remaining bottles of water.
The two founders of Freedom Industries Inc seem a bit unsavory to put it mildly. One, Carl Kennedy II, convicted cocaine dealer (you can’t make this stuff up) and the other Mr. Gary Southern (who is anything but Southern with a distinctive British sounding accent) who publicly said that 4-methylcyclohexane methanol was not harmful while authorities said otherwise. Freedom Industries Inc has contradicted the government continually since the spill occurred according to CNN and many sources.
Founder number one, Carl Kennedy II, who plead guilty to selling cocaine and was charged with failing to pay hundreds of thousands in income taxes. Nothing like drug pushers running chemical companies. Freedom Industries Inc merged with three other companies just a matter of days ago on December 31st. 2013. After Kennedy’s stint as a cocaine drug dealer he and his current partner co conspirator (oops we mean founder!) Gary Southern started a bar where they sold massive amounts of liquor. Kennedy went from selling drugs to alcohol to the chemical company… a natural progression. More on his partner “Southern” below.
According to the West Virginia Gazette Freedom Industries Inc. stonewalled all media inquiries “releasing only a bland news release through a public relations firm — until a 10-minute news conference Friday evening.” Southern gave a brief (if not impolite and contradictory) interview where CNN reports he responded it’s been a long day and walked away in the middle of the cut short news conference. Reporters yelled at him to come back saying perhaps the day had been even longer for the hundreds of thousands of West Virginians left without any water to use, drink or bathe in.
The WV Gazette also reports that the only person to actually make any statement (before the “news conference”) was Kathy Stover-Kennedy, the girlfriend of Freedom Industries executive Dennis P. Farrell. She posted on her Facebook page (never a good “idear” in these situations, girlfriend) about the contaminated water spill caused by her boyfriend’s company “I showered and brushed my teeth this morning and I am just fine!” She went on to day about “Denny saying that ” it wasn’t his decision to hire a spokesperson and it isn’t his job to be one!” She also asked the public to show them some empathy (Seriously?!)
One local woman (who goes by WV Mom) stated “I live in the contaminated area and I work near the water plant. The smell was in the air before 930 yesterday morning. They didn’t tell us not to drink the water for 8 hours after it happened.” Several locals been hospitalized because of illnesses as a direct result to exposure to contaminated water. Restaurants and most business have also been forced to close having a major negative economic impact in an area that was already trying to bounce back from hard times. As of now authorities are not sure how long the water ban will be in place or how these hundreds of thousands of people will drink bathe cook or wash themselves and their families.
Check out their snide CEO as he drinks his chilled bottled water nearly rolling his eyes at the countless people he’s left with no water at all.
