Artist hopes to help Detroit by selling giant Crisco can

A Detroit artist has been trying to sell a giant Crisco can to benefit the bankrupt city but has had trouble keeping it up on eBay. Jerry Peterson, who uses the name Jerry Vile professionally, has had the can twice removed by the online auction site, The Detroit News reported. The second time he removed any references to Crisco, marketing the can under the name Jerry Vile. Crisco, a brand of shortening, was first put on the market by Procter & Gamble Co. in 1911. Like Kleenex, Xerox and some other iconic brands, the name has become a synonym for the type of product. Peterson's ad shows the 4-foot-tall Crisco can posed in front of a sculpture depicting the late heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis' fist -- a pairing he believes illustrates the pain of Detroit's current situation. The second time the can was removed from eBay, on Friday, bidding had advanced to $710. Peterson said any money he makes will go either to the city or a charity of the city's choice. Peterson said he will make at least one more try at an online auction. "For now, I'm Crisco'd out, I'm going to go out and have some fun," he said Friday on Facebook. "Or maybe try hiding behind that First Amendment."