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A bottle of water brand founded by Sons of Anarchy actor Theo Rossi and his wife Meghan McDermott in 2015 is facing backlash over its controversial packaging that has Brooklyn residents outraged.

Ounce Water recently launched 40 Ounce water that residents are claiming the water bottle resembles 40 oz malt liquor and promotes alcoholism to children.

Breukelen RISE, an activist group serving at-risk youth and their families, protested against Ounce Water’s natural spring water that comes in a 40-ounce bottle that looks like Colt 45, Olde English and Private Stock, which has negative stereotypes on Black communities.

“In a community that has been ravaged by alcohol and drugs, we are confused as to why someone would create a product that so closely resembles a malt liquor bottle,” members of Breukelen RISE wrote in a letter to the company. “We cannot get behind this product staying on the shelves in our community.”

The activists have called for a pull out of the product from Canarsie’s Food World Supermarket. Now the bottle has been removed and replaced by their 20-ounce bottles. However, the damage has not been quick to be forgotten.

“They called the store and said we were promoting alcoholism by selling water in that bottle,” said Food World manager, Kevin Chang, 38. “They said they’d come and protest unless we got rid of them. We called the manufacturer. They came and took the 40s and gave us the 20s. To be quite honest, it does look like an Olde English, but it’s plastic. It’s not glass. It’s just water. It says water on the contents.”

Community members are concerned that the promotion of alcohol will influence children to try them.

“It’s the same as play cigarettes. It’s grooming. It’s a precursor to making you comfortable holding that bottle,” Christine Gilliam, told the New York Daily News. “It’s not what’s in the bottle — it’s the bottle itself. We would love it if everybody would drink more water, but nobody in my family is going to drink that water as long as it’s in that bottle.”

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