'Permit Patty' Is Officially Out of a Job

Alison Ettel, the woman dubbed "Permit Patty" after she lost her shit in a viral video appearing to report an eight-year-old black girl selling water "without a permit," is now out of a job. On Tuesday, Treatwell Health announced that Ettel had officially stepped down as CEO and that the cannabis company, which produces weed products for cats and dogs, will be moving on without her.

Treatwell has been under fire ever since footage of Ettel hit the internet last weekend. In the viral video, Ettel appears to call the police over a kid selling $2 bottles of water on the street in San Francisco. She later tries to hide behind a low wall when she realizes she's being filmed. Ettel later told Huffington Post she only "pretended" to call the police because the girl was being loud, and the San Francisco Police Department confirmed to NBC News that it never received a complaint.

"I think she’s a bully," the girl's mother, Erin Austin, later told CNN. "Just the fact that she called the police on a child, that’s evil. But to call on a child of color, knowing that police have been killing black kids, that says to me that you don’t care about my child’s life."

By Tuesday, at least seven California businesses reportedly pulled Treatwell products from their shelves or cut ties with the company in protest. That night, Treatwell released a statement in response to the "situation that occurred in an escalated moment."

"In a heated moment, a critically wrong decision was made by our CEO," a spokesman for Treatwell wrote. "The guilt lies in that decision, and while it was completely wrong, the act that followed was not motivated by any racist intent whatsoever."

Ettel has now stepped down from her post, "in the best interest of [Treatwell's] patients," and will no longer be working with the company, effective immediately. "It is Ms. Ettel’s belief that TreatWell, its employees, and patients should not have to suffer because of a situation that occurred in an escalated moment. And she regrets her part and is remorseful," the statement continues.

It's unclear if Ettel is going to stay in the pet cannabis industry or look for something new—but whatever she winds up doing, she better be sure and get the proper permitting first.

Update 6/27: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the incident occurred in Oakland.

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