'BAD' SPORTS EX-ATHLETES PUSHING THUG FOOD: POL By FRANKIE EDOZIEN UNLEASHED: Atomic Dogg is under fire. December 14, 2007 -- Former Knick Larry Johnson and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown are engaged in marketing the gang lifestyle to inner-city kids, a peeved Queens lawmaker charged yesterday.
The two are part of O.G. Nation, which markets beverages and snacks branded with names such as "Thug Chips" and "Atomic Dogg."
Council aides claim that in street parlance, "O.G." means "original gangster."
The company is preparing to unleash a wave of thug-themed products to supermarkets in urban areas.
Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-Queens), who has been crusading against the marketing of gang paraphernalia on city streets, today will call on investors to pull out and buyers to stay away.
"They are people trying to exploit our youth," Comrie said.
"It's even more insidious because these are people that work directly with gangs . . . enticing people into thug life and gang life. It makes no sense to me," the lawmaker told The Post.
He said Johnson and Brown's products will end up hurting "generations of people."
"Why would you harm an entire culture just to help a few people" make money? Comrie asked.
Meanwhile, at a Council Public Safety & Consumer Affairs hearing yesterday, cops said the attention paid to gang paraphernalia has resulted in a shift from hats and jerseys to more subtle forms of identification.
"The blatant wear that we used to see two years ago [is dissipating]. Things are a little more subtle now - shoe laces, things of that nature," said Deputy Chief Robert Boyce.
"One of the things we're seeing more often now is shoes . . . In particular, lime-green shoes have been adopted" by Dominican gangs uptown, Boyce added.
Lawmakers were peeved that representatives of New Era, makers of Major League Baseball caps that have been decorated and used as gang wear, didn't show up. Company officials said scheduling was an issue.
"They are marketing death to our kids, pure and simple," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens). "They are such a busy company that they couldn't get here with two weeks' notice on such a serious issue."
Councilman Applauds Beverage Company For Name Change By Special to the Sun February 8, 2008
City Council member Leroy Comrie is praising an Arizona-based beverage company's decision to change its name to "Hall Of Fame Beverages Inc." from "OG Nation." In December, Mr. Comrie blasted the company, marketed by former Knicks player Larry Johnson, for using the phrase "OG," short for "original gangster," saying it glorified gang culture. But, in a letter yesterday, Mr. Comrie said, "Your recent decision has indicated to me that yours is a company willing to listen and serve urban consumers, as well as one that is open to change."
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
