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Walmart has reportedly pulled a line of T-shirts reading "Black Lives Matter" from its online store after receiving a complaint letter from the Fraternal Order of Police, the country's largest police organization.
The letter, written by FOP president Chuck Canterbury, requested that the retail chain remove shirts that read "Bulletproof" and "Black Lives Matter," stating that the merchandise was "offensive" and encouraged "racial division." In response, Walmart pulled the "Bulletproof" shirts (which also include the phrase "Black Lives Matter" beneath that text), but not the "Black Lives Matter"-only ones, according to the Washington Post.
In a statement Wednesday night, Walmart noted that the shirts were being sold via their online marketplace by a third-party retailer, Old Glory but stated, "After hearing concerns from customers, we are removing the specific item with the ‘bulletproof’ reference.” Old Glory also produces items that read "Blue Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter."
“Commercializing our differences will not help our local police and communities to build greater trust and respect for one another," said Canterbury in his original letter to Walmart. The Washington Post also reports that the Fraternal Order of Police sent a similar request to Amazon today, though the company has yet to comment on the issue.
Read the full story here via The Washington Post.