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Illinois Attorney General, City Investigating Boobies Rock!

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 3, 2012 10:45PM

2012_11_27_boobiesrock.jpg The Sun-Times has a follow-up on its story last week on Boobies Rock!, the for-profit clothing company that seems to be cashing in at the expense of breast cancer charities. Boobies Rock! chairman Adam Shryock is now reaping a whirlwind.

According to the Sun-Times, Shryock ordered the removal of all Boobies Rock! Facebook pages in the wake of the original article which showed how little money resulting from the sale of Boobies Rock! t-shirts actually made it to cancer charities. Shryock told managers to unpublish their Facebook pages “until this passes,” but it may not. (Shryock told the Sun-Times the pages were removed because “several of the reps with pages expressed concerns about being harassed, death threats, etc.”)

The Illinois Attorney General’s Charitable Trust Bureau is conducting its own investigation into the company. Ald Ed Burke (14th), chair of the City Council Finance Committee, plans on introducing a measure to investigate whether Boobies Rock! violated city ordinances and consumer protection or charitable fundraising laws by showing up at Cubs and Bears games, other sporting events and bars with boxes of entendre-laden t-shirts they would sell with the simple question: “Would you like to donate to breast cancer awareness?”

Rather than have Burke grandstand, why not let the City Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection do its job and investigate Boobies Rock!, which it’s already doing? A preliminary check showed Shylock’s company had no licenses or permits to sell their shirts.

Burke said he was spurred to action because he was offended by Shryock’s insouciant nature; Shryock said “we have the right to say who we give money to.”

Finance Committee chairman Matthew Link told the Sun-Times
“I think most people would be greatly offended by the position that the company’s founder took. What does it do to the legitimate charities that are trying to collect for their causes?”