Protest
Photo by Charles E. Spirtos/Wikimedia Commons]

Man Overboard redesign their “Defend Pop Punk” shirt in support of BLM

Man Overboard have just released a shirt that’s very similar to their iconic “Defend Pop Punk” merch. But, the text emblazoned across the front reads “Defund The Police.” The rifle that is front and center, is snapped in half. 

All proceeds from the shirt will be donated to Black Lives Matter in an effort to eliminate racial injustices and police brutality. 

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Man Overboard dropped their first new song in five years “Lifeline” back in April. But, ever since the tragic murder of George Floyd by Minnesota police sparked worldwide Black Lives Matter protests, the band has been doing their part to spread awareness and raise money for important black organizations. 

Just last week, Man Overboard announced that they will be donating all of their merch sales from the month of June to The Bail Project.

Now, in order to continue supporting the movement, Man Overboard have released a new shirt. 

In addition to the broken rifle and “Defund The Police” on the front, there is additional text on the back. 

“Defunding the police does not mean anti police,” it reads. “It means reducing police budgets on a local and state level and investing that money directly into the communities and people that need it most.”

100% of proceeds will be donated to @blklivesmatter #blacklivesmatter #defundthepolice. Link is in our bio. We are leaving the comments on for constructive civil discourse. Peace and love to all.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBLzO_wBwbW/

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Vocalists Zac Eisenstein and Nik Bruzzese took to Twitter to comment on the shirts. 

Man Overboard’s “Defund The Police” shirts can be found here.

UPDATE: JUNE 8, 2020 7:02 PM EST

Following Man Overboard’s announcement of their new shirt, the band have decided to remove the statement on the back of the shirt that addresses defunding police. This decision was made after fans expressed their concerns that the shirt’s message could be easily misinterpreted. The shirt will now only be printed on the front. All proceeds are still being donated to Black Lives Matter.

To everyone who commented and responded to the “Defund The Police” shirt. The message wasn’t coming across the right way. We took it all into consideration and we took the back off. It will only be a front print. All proceeds will be donated to @Blklivesmatter #blacklivesmatter

To show support through donations, connect with grassroots campaigns and obtain resources for allies, please refer to the links below.

Help the family of George Floyd here.
Fight for Breonna Taylor here.
Help the family of Ahmaud Arbery here.
To sign petitions for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and more, click here.
Donate to one or more community bail funds for protesters here.
Click here for more resources for protestors, including pro-bono lawyers.
Visit Movement For Black Lives for additional ways you can help the cause.
Click here to connect with leaders building grassroots campaigns.
Here are some anti-racism resources for allies who want to learn more. For other ways to donate, please head here.