U.K. based fashion
retailer Topshop has pulled The Gangsta Rap Coloring Book from the shelves
of its flagship Oxford Street store in the UK, after the book generated numerous
complaints. The
48-page coloring book, which was authored by Aye Jay Moreno and released in 2004,
features images of rappers like 50 Cent, Eazy-E, Ice-T, Master P, in thick black
lines. According
to representatives for Topshop, The Gangsta Rap Coloring Book, which was
being sold at a concession stand at the Oxford Street store, was not approved
for sale by Topshop. "There
have been a lot of complaints," a spokesperson for Topshop told AllHipHop.com.
"It came off sale this morning. The images were pretty offensive for a fashion
store to be selling. We pulled it from the shelves as soon as we were made aware
of the content."Mothers
Against Guns, a UK based watch dog organization that monitors gun portrayal and
raises awareness about the risks of gun violence, labeled the book "sick."Topshop
is owned by Arcadia group, the U.K.’s largest retailer. Arcadia operates over
2,000 stores in the UK, mostly in urban areas. The
company also owns hundreds of other franchised stores in 30 countries, including
chains like Dorothy Perkins, Outfit, Topman, Wallis, Burton and others. The
controversy comes on the heels of the second summit on gun crime held by community
leaders and police last week (Mar. 6) and the announcement of a new gun minding
laws, announced by Home Secretary John Reid. The
new law targets gang members who seek to avoid prosecution by getting others to
hold their guns or weapons after a crime, in response to a spate of gun violence
throughout the UKUnder
the new law, police will also be able to access details of all legally purchased
firearms. A
National Firearms Database was also recently rolled out across England and Wales,
that keeps track of all lawfully held weapons and their owners in England and
Wales. Also,
all details of weapons and ammunition recovered from a crime scene will be recorded
in the new National Ballistics Intelligence Database, which will be accessible
to all 43 police forces in England and Wales.