Black Lives Matter: Jeff Bezos blasts racist customer

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Amazon CEO and owner of rocket company Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, has revealed that he has been receiving “sickening but not surprising” emails since he posted on Instagram responding to a customer that complained about the “Black Lives Matter” banner on top of Amazon’s e-commerce site.

Bezos recently shared an email from a customer on his Instagram. The shopper complained that the online retailer's advocacy was "quite disturbing." 

"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 and I'm sure you'll be hearing from others. ALL LIVES MATTER!" said the shopper.

"'Black lives matter' doesn't mean other lives don't matter," said Bezos. "Black lives matter speaks to the racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system."

Over the weekend, Bezos shared a profane, racist email message from yet another customer whose last name was blacked out from the screenshot.

“Dave, you’re the kind of customer I’m happy to lose,” Bezos responded. “This sort of hate shouldn’t be allowed to hide in the shadows. It’s important to make it visible. This is just one example of the problem.”

Amazon showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement demanding a reckoning with institutional racism following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck while he was handcuffed.

"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," he continued. "It's not something I worry about. Black parents can't say that same," said Bezos. 

"None of this is intended to dismiss or minimize the very real worries you or anyone else might have in their own life, but I want you to know I support this movement that we see happening all around us, and my stance won't change," he added.

Amazon last week announced USD10 million in donations to groups supporting social justice and equity issues, including the ACLU Foundation, National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the NAACP.