The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which is the largest police union in the US, has asked online retailer Amazon to pull Black Lives Matter shirts that it deemed “offensive” a day after Walmart acquiesced to its request.
FOP president, Chuck Canterbury, appealed to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in an open
letter, in which he asked the online retailer to
“prohibit the use of the Amazon name and website for the retail” of shirts and sweatshirts with slogans
“Bulletproof”, “Black Lives Matter” and
“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” which Canterbury described as
“offensive” and the spread of
“urban myths.”
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At the same time, he praised the company for
“demonstrating the reality of the American dream” and its philanthropic work and expressed his hope that it shares
“FOP’s goal of increasing the bonds of trust between the men and women of law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
“I wanted to let you know that my members are very upset that you and Amazon are complicit in the sale of this offensive merchandise,” he added, warning that it could
“damage your company’s good name amongst FOP members and other active and retired law enforcement officers.”
He also expressed sadness over the fact that some
“third party sellers are making money by exploiting racial divisions” in the US.
However, Amazon has not yet issued any official statements on the matter while the shirts are still
available for sale on its website.
Insane how advocating for Black lives to be treated with dignity and respect just like anyone elses is now a problem
fukkin coward
