AMAZON boss Jeff Bezos publicized how he responded to a complaint about his company’s Black Lives Matter stance. The CEO publicly expressed his support for the protests which have swept across the US after a white Minneapolis cop fatally knelt on the neck of George Floyd, a black man, for nearly nine minutes. Bezos, who […]
AMAZON boss Jeff Bezos publicized how he responded to a complaint about his company’s Black Lives Matter stance.
The CEO publicly expressed his support for the protests which have swept across the US after a white Minneapolis cop fatally knelt on the neck of George Floyd, a black man, for nearly nine minutes.
Bezos, who is now the wealthiest man in the world, shared an email from – and his response to – an angry customer who demanded to know why he had a “Black Lives Matter” banner on the Amazon website.
“I am for everyone voicing their opinions and standing up for what you believe in, but for your company to blast this on your website is very offensive to me,” the customer wrote. “ALL LIVES MATTER!”
“I have to disagree with you,” read Bezos’ reply. “‘Black lives matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter.
“Black lives matter speaks to racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system.”
“I have a 20-year-old son, and I simply don’t worry that he might be choked to death while being detained one day. It’s not something I worry about. Black parents can’t say the same.”
Bezos and his ex-wife MacKenzie share three sons – 20-year-old Preston is the oldest – and one adopted daughter.
The businessman continued saying he didn’t intend to downplay other problems in people’s lives but he supported the cause regardless.
“But I want you to know I support this movement that we see happening around us, and my stance won’t change,” he said.
The anti-racism protests have been peaceful overall but there has been some looting and violence in cities like NYC, LA, and previously, in Grand Rapids in Michigan over the past 12 days.
The largest protest since Floyd’s death in Minnesota is expected in Washington DC on Saturday, where the White House was barricaded with troops guarding it.
Although Amazon has backed the BLM movement, they came under fire during the COVID-19 pandemic as employees protested the warehouse workplace conditions, claiming they were silenced by the company.
Some workers – like Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham – alleged that they were fired for speaking out against Amazon, a claim the company has repeatedly denied.
“We support every employee’s right to criticize their employer’s working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies,” an Amazon spokesperson previously told The Sun.
“We terminated these employees not for talking publicly about working conditions or safety, but rather, for repeatedly violating internal policies.”
