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NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The largest police union in the United States is urging online retailer Amazon to stop selling a controversial shirt, which is related to the Black Lives Matter protest movement against violence and racism.
Last week, the shirt, which carries the words "Bulletproof: Black Lives Matter", was removed from online sale by retailer Walmart after it received a complaint from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). However, Amazon declined to comment and continues to sell the product.
According to a FOP's open letter, the union said the shirt is "offensive" and appealed to Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos to support the FOP in "increasing the bonds of trust between the men and women of law enforcement and the communities they serve."
"Commercializing our differences will not help our local police and communities to build greater trust and respect for one another," Chunk Canterbury, president of the FOP, wrote in the letter. "I write to urge you to prohibit the use of the Amazon name and website for the retail sale of these products," he continued.
"Turning a buck on strained relationship will not contribute to the healing process," he added.
Canterbury described Amazon "as a pretty liberal marketer" and thought that the shirt might inspire violence against members of law enforcement, according to the Guardian.
The shirt is offered by Old Glory Merchandise, a third party vendor. Its owner Glenn Morelli told CNN that the shirt was not "a big seller at all" and that they don't like to offend anybody. "You have to sell all different kinds of shirts. It's hard to make everybody happy," he added.
