Target Utah stores have been the target of bomb threats amid the giant retailer's LGBTQ Pride Month collection, which faced backlash from conservatives or right-wingers.
The retailer earlier this week removed some items from its Pride Month collection following the backlash from some of its customers.
Target Stores Bomb Threats
According to a report by USA Today, the police are looking into bomb threats concerning Target stores in Utah after local news outlets received such threats.
Salt Lake City police communications director Brent Weisberg says in a statement that "officers will continue neighborhood patrols around the Target locations in Salt Lake City out of an abundance of caution."
Weisberg says that the authorities worked hand in hand with the giant retailer following the bomb threat reports. However, as it turns out, they determined that the threats were unfounded.
USA Today notes the Salt Lake City police communications director refused to go into the details of the Target store bomb threats, noting that the situation is still under investigation. Instead, Weisberg only urged people to report suspicious activities to the authorities by calling the 911 emergency hotline.
Meanwhile, Target kept mum about the situation.
Layton Police Sgt. John Ottesen disclosed that Target stores in Utah, such as Provo, Layton, Salt Lake, and Taylorsville, received bomb threats. He says the threats were made via email, which the police describe as "bogus."
According to Newsweek, a CBS News affiliate WOIO in Cleveland, Ohia, got the email at around 12:26 pm on May 16, which warned about bombs in the giant retailer's five stores nearby. The email notes that the threat was made as a response to the recent move of Target to pull out some of its products under its new LGBTQ Pride collection.
A screenshot of the email reads, "Target is full of cowards who turned their back on the LGBT community and decided to cater to homophobic ring-wing redneck bigots who protested and vandalized their store." However, the police consider it a bogus email.
LGBTQ Pride Month Collection Backlash
Early this May, the giant retailer introduced its Pride Month collection, a month before the annual celebration, featuring thousands of LGBTQ-themed items, including books, clothing, and mugs.
However, after the backlash against its collection, which led to violent confrontations between its customers and staffers, Target decided to prioritize the safety and well-being of its staffers. The retailer pulled some items from the Pride collection from its shelves.
Meanwhile, Target is also facing backlash after reportedly collaborating with a K-12 education group, GLSEN, which supports LGBTQ+ education among youth.
Related Article : Target To Remove Some LGBTQ Products Amid Customer Backlash: Here's Why!
