'Angry Trayvon' App Removed for Being 'Racist and Promoting Violence'
An "Angry Trayvon" app that was in the Google Play store and being downloaded and purchased by customers was removed Tuesday after outcries that it was racist. The game's title character, Trayvon, wears a dark hooded sweatshirt and wields a baseball bat to attack other characters.
The "Angry Trayvon" app's main character Trayvon had a mission to complete a "world tour of revenge on the bad guys who terrorize cities everyday." The game was created by TradeDigital and released last Christmas, according to The Washington Post. On Change.org, petitioners said the game "promotes violence" and should be taken down.
"I am sure his parents not appreciate the image of their son as a gun toting vigilante. The death of this young man is NOT A GAME. This developer is using the Google Marketplace to exploit the death of an unarmed teen for profit while simultaneously promoting violence," the creators continued. "Given the racial and social climate surrounding this issue and the unfair depiction of a deceased minor who perished as a result of gun violence, we are asking that this application be moved from the Google Play marketplace immediately."
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The app was never available in Apple's App Store, but never violated Google's Terms of Service, and so was left there for a considerable amount of time. TradeDigital acknowledged the controversy, stating that "Angry Trayvon" was "just an action game for entertainment."
"This was by no means a racist game. Nonetheless, it was removed as will this page and anything associated with the game will be removed," they said in a statement Monday.
The game stirred up particular grief for the Martin family and supporters of Trayvon, who have watched the George Zimmerman trial intensely. Zimmerman, who is being tried for the murder of Trayvon in Sanford, Fla. last year, will be found guilty or not guilty this week.
