Culture

People Are Slamming The Non-Black Business Naming Products After Black Police Brutality Victims

Shan Shui made their jewellery using glass from shattered storefronts during Black Lives Matter riots.

by Michelle Rennex  10 September 2020
Shan Shui BLM riot glass jewellery backlash

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Shan Shui have shut down their online store after receiving immense backlash over their Black Lives Matter-inspired jewellery line.

After peaceful protests demanding justice for George Floyd turned into riots back in May, Paul Chelmis and Jing Wen decided to capitalise on the rubble that lay in the streets of Charleston, South Carolina.

Collecting the glass from broken shopfront windows the morning after the May 30 riots, the couple created the ‘Wear Their Names’ jewellery line that uses the shattered glass from riots as the centrepiece.

Playing on the “Say Their Names” Black Lives Matter slogan, each piece in the ‘Wear Their Names’ collection was named after an innocent Black person who died at the hands of police brutality.

But while Chelmis and Wen vowed to donate all of their Shan Shui profits to charity, people were disgusted by how a non-Black couple were exploiting Black death, calling the move disrespectful and unethical.

In an interview with the Charleston Scene, Chelmis and Wen explained that their goal with the ‘Wear Their Names’ collection was to “spin what was perceived as a violent, negative act into something good that could potentially illuminate the deeper issues behind the scenes”.

Kanika Moore, a friend of the couple and a prominent Black vocalist in the Charleston area, also shared that Chelmis was worried that the project would be perceived the wrong way. The pair had aimed to ensure that they were “amplifying Black voices and fostering positive change” through the collection, but were ultimately cautious about the way it would be viewed.

As Chelmis and Wen soon found out after launch, the couple were correct to feel wary about the reception to their jewellery line. People were repulsed by the decision the couple made to capitalise on tragedy, regardless of whether profits were going to Black Lives Matter-related charities or not.

In fact, teenage Black Lives Matter activist, Sophie Ming, was quick to point out that the project was unethical by default if the profits weren’t going directly to the families of the victims of police brutality — especially when ‘Wear Their Names’ used these victims to advertise each piece.

For reference, the charity that was chosen by the ‘Wear Their Names’ creators was From Privilege to Progress, which is a “national movement to desegregate the conversation about race and racism”. The “charity” says that they “call on Americans to join on the path to antiracism by learning, speaking up in their everyday lives and amplifying the voices of people of colour”.

Ming also noted Chelmis and Wen’s decision to name each item after a victim, then price each piece differently was eerily reminiscent of slave auctions. Slave auction documents from the 1800s show that Black slaves were priced differently based on sex, strength and age, similar to how each Shan Shui item ranged in price depending on its size and style.

For example, The Breonna (Taylor) necklace retails for $240, while The Elijah (McClain) piece costs $480. The cheapest and smallest item of the eight available is The Tamir (Rice), which is $95 for a set of shattered glass studs.

Prior to the site shutting down, a pendant named after Tanisha Pughsley — a police detective, who was killed by her ex-boyfriend — was even put on “sale”, showing the ethical issues with commodifying tragedy through purchasable products.

Placing ‘The Tanisha’ on sale, but not any of the other items could imply that Tanisha Pughsley’s life was somehow worth less simply because she was a member of law enforcement and didn’t die at the hands of police brutality.

Naturally, the backlash to the jewellery line was so instant that the Shan Shui site was immediately closed with an apology issued on the website’s front page.

“We’ve heard the feedback from the community loud and clear and are taking it seriously. So sorry to those we offended or harmed,” the apology read. “While our intentions were pure and we consulted with a wide variety of people before launching, it is clear that there are issues with the approach we took.”

“Though we only wanted to honour the victim’s names and retell their story, we see now that using those names was inappropriate and in poor taste,” it continued. “We’ve shut down the entire site and permanently stopped the project… we will fulfil any orders that have already been placed, but will also honour refund requests for any unfulfilled orders.”

“We want to make things right. Thank you for holding us accountable. Nothing but respect for our activist community. We’ve been out there shouting on the streets as well,” the statement concluded. “We will continue to listen if anyone has any further thoughts.”

Credit: Shan Shui Studio

But this hasn’t been the first time that non-black people have been called out for profiteering off the Black Lives Matter movement either, and it likely won’t be the last.

Just three months ago, Jake Paul was criticised for vlogging looting in Arizona during Black Lives Matter protests, which was likely going to be uploaded as a monetised video before he faced major backlash. And more recently, an anonymous creator has been called out for selling “George Floyd stress plushies” for $48.

While the Shan Shui creators did respond to Junkee’s request for comment, Paul Chelmis and Jing Wen felt that it was still too early to discuss the events that have occurred over the past few days.