On May 25, a white police officer named Derek Chauvin brutally killed George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, in Minneapolis. His death has triggered protests against police brutality and racism in over 75 cities around America and internationally. As the police continue to inflict violence at and outside of these protests, self-defense weapons have risen among Amazon’s ($AMZN) best-selling products.
On May 16, pocket knives were ranked at 96 on the best-sellers list. As of yesterday, pocket knives have jumped up to the top ten with an average sales rank of 9.5. The last time pocket knives were in the top ten was July 2019. (A lower data point signifies a higher sales rank.)
Stun guns were ranked at 89 in March and rose to 45 by June.
Studies have shown a link between the summer heat and crime. According to a study by Giffords Law Center, Chicago’s total homicide count doubled from March to August in 2016. Detroit and Baltimore saw similar trends from March to July of that year.
“The relationship is not all that surprising: warm weather encourages people to spend more time outside, where more social interactions occur,” the study reads. “There are more chances for violence to break out on hot days, especially when employment opportunities or summer programs for high-risk youth are not readily available.”
People are losing their jobs and loved ones to COVID-19. The government is failing us and the police are committing murder as racism continues to run rampant through America. This summer, there’s even more reason to defend yourself when the men paid to protect us are doing the opposite. There’s more reason to take to the streets.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
