The product appeared on the website amid nationwide protests over the 46-year-old's death in police custody last month.
Trigger warning: This story contains graphic details of police brutality and murder that readers may find disturbing
Amazon recently pulled a controversial children's T-shirt depicting disgraced Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck, reports BBC. The apparel which was available on the U.S. Amazon store for $14.99, is said to have been listed by a third-party reseller. It was brought to the network's attention by a concerned Amazon employee who "questioned how tasteful such an item of clothing was." The product appeared on the website amid nationwide protests over the 46-year-old's death in police custody last month and although the original listing is now offline, a number of similar apparel are still listed.
that such a t shirt exists defies all logic! BBC News - Amazon removes T-shirt showing George Floyd death https://t.co/llY9H2Noxc
— Tha Magnificent 'Droid (@ImmortalCritic) June 9, 2020
Amazon said in a statement to BBC that the third-party reseller was being investigated. "All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account. The product in question is no longer available," the company stated. Screenshots of the since-removed listing show that the t-shirt was described as having a "vivid print" and being "state of the art." Moreover, the product's "occasion" designation described the shirt as "great for casual." Amazon's guidelines prohibit products that depict crime scene photos.
it's pretty gross that there's pages of George Floyd-themed products being sold on Amazon rn pic.twitter.com/ap2LAaDK5a
— cmwlsn (@cameronwilson) May 31, 2020
However, neither the guidelines nor Amazon removing the listing seems to be doing much in terms of deterring other sellers looking to capitalize on Floyd's death. A simple search for "George Floyd t-shirts" unearthed at least 3 shirt designs featuring his final moments. Some have designs that juxtaposed the disturbing image with Colin Kaepernick's kneeling in protest of police brutality. One such product, advertised as "Against Violent Law Enforcement" short sleeve t-shirt for children, was heavily criticized as "racist" and "disgusting &wrong" by reviewers.
Amazon removed a shirt depicting George Floyd's death, but similar products remain on the site https://t.co/ZlNRVg9h0w
— Insider (@thisisinsider) June 10, 2020
"I can’t believe your company would allow this picture to be printed. Your company needs to remove this ASAP. I will report and report and report this racist material until you are out of business. This is disrespectful to this man and his race," reads a 1-star review by an Amazon user named Regina. "Excuse my French but WTF? Please remove this product," wrote Maria Johansson while a user named Chelon R Williams urged "don't buy this!" and deemed it "very disrespectful."
@amazon you wanna maybe NOT sell a shirt w George Floyd being murdered? Seriously what is wrong with you guys? Does this not violate some moral/ethics code to mock and exploit the murder of innocent people???
— Andres (@putiando45) June 3, 2020
Another one of these products, the "I Can't Breathe-George Freud Fashion Tee Personality Men's Short Sleeve T-Shirt" that first became available on Amazon on May 29, 2020, is described as "awesome additions to any wardrobe" and "great for holidays." The seller claims that the product priced at $16.99, is a "unique gift idea for a friend or family member. "Wear It Day Or Night For An Instantly Awesome Look!" the listing states. Although BBC reported that items similar to these were designated as "out of stock," as of Thursday morning, recent listings are still open for orders.