WASHINGTON --
QUESTION:
Did T.J. Maxx sell shirts with nooses that read "hang loose?"
ANSWER:
Yes, shirts were sold back in 2015 and swiftly removed from the racks.
SOURCES:
TAVIK- clothing manufacturer
T.J. Maxx spokesperson
PROCESS:
A viewer asked our team to fact-check a photo she saw circulating online.
The photo captured what appears to be a shirt with a noose on it reading "Hang Loose" with a T.J. Maxx tag.
A viewer sent us this post and ask us to Verify whether T.J. Maxx actually sold these shirts and a spokesperson from the store confirmed they did in 2015.
“At T.J. Maxx, we take product matters very seriously," a spokesperson told Verify researchers. "Four years ago, we mistakenly purchased some of these t-shirts and as soon as we became aware of their offensive message, we removed them from our stores. Unfortunately, with thousands of products arriving into our stores several times each week, our product review process did not catch the item, which we deeply regret."
He added, "We would like to apologize to our customers for any offense this item may have caused, at that time or now.”
Turns out this old shirt got new life after the post was shared 10,000 times on Facebook page called "Black Lives Should Matter."
But the shirt's manufacturer confirmed the shirts were pulled from all stores long ago.
So yes, we can Verify this shirt was sold at T.J. Maxx stores back in 2015. Any photos being circulated now, are outdated.