Crime & Safety

Man Torches Box of Cheerios Outside General Mills' Headquarters

In an act to protest General Mills' support of same-sex marriage, Michael Leisner took a blowtorch to a box of Cheerios in front of the cereal maker's Golden Valley campus.

“One out of every eight boxes of cereal in this country is Cheerios," Michael Leisner said in a YouTube video posted Sunday. "This is really the treat now for the homosexuals."

Standing in front of the General Mills sign at the company's Golden Valley headquarters, Leisner declared that he's protesting General Mills' support of same-sex marriage.

Leisner used a blowtorch to set fire to a box of Cheerios. The fire quickly spread to the grass near the sign.

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Today, Golden Valley police are investigating the incident. "This is an active investigation and we can't make a comment at this time," Joanne Paul, crime analyst and support services supervisor for the police department, told Patch. When Patch contacted General Mills about Leisner's protest, the company declined to comment.

On June 14, General Mills to ban gay marriage.

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Leisner isn't the first person to protest General Mills' opposition to the amendment. On June 26, the Star Tribune reported that 75 protesters stood outside the General Mills' headquarters and asked people to drop off unopened boxes of General Mills products. The food was later donated to charity.


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