Agency to stop selling target resembling Black man
Later this month, police agencies and the U.S. military will no longer be able to buy a target dummy resembling a man of African descent through a federal government website.
On May 27, the U.S. General Services Administration will terminate its five-year contract — called a GSA schedule — with California company Kistabra Inc., which has been selling the rubber figure through the GSA’s website since 2019. The GSA procures equipment from commercial companies such as Kistabra and sells their products at discounted rates to federal, state and local agencies.
In an emailed statement, GSA spokesperson Andra Higgs said the GSA will remove the target dummy from its website after a “contractually required notice period.”
The decision came two weeks after a Chronicle column about Oakland artist Tracy Brown, who circulated an online petition calling for the GSA to stop selling the problematic product.
Brown discovered the dummies in 2021 while researching guns and gun safety demonstrations online. On April 13, she used one of the 20-pound dummies as the centerpiece of an art installation in downtown Oakland that was both a commentary on the dehumanization of Black bodies in America, and the disproportionate government killings of Black men. That week, the GSA learned of Brown’s petition and said it was “committed to reviewing” the issue “thoroughly.”
The petition had nearly 750 signatures on Thursday.
Public concerns about the dummy’s facial features aren’t new. Social media users pointed out the design of the figure’s mouth and nose back in 2014, when Kistabra first began marketing the product on Instagram.
Kistabra President Mike Lessnick did not respond to a request for comment regarding the GSA’s decision.
Brown said last week she is proud of the GSA’s decision to pull the rubber dummy but framed it as a first step that doesn’t reflect the full resolution she’s seeking.
“Ending the contract with (Kistabra) is one thing. But the GSA needs to look at changing its own policies, which should include an audit of its catalog, so they can ensure they aren’t doing business with other companies that are selling racially problematic products,” Brown said. “I’m going to continue working them so they understand why it’s important they make more systemic changes.”