Green Book for Red M.A.G.A. Hats? There’s an App for That

An Oklahoma developer created an app for Trump supporters looking to feel safe in retail spaces while wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. The app gauges whether restaurants and shops are friendly to conservatives.

Meet “63red Safe."

It's description is “an app to keep conservatives safe as they eat and shop.”

The idea, according to founder Scott Wallace, is to “simply get these politics out of restaurants and businesses”  -- by gauging whether they would be friendly to conservatives.

Wallace, who describes himself as a lifelong Republican, said he conceived the idea when he was out with his youngest child and considered buying “one of those MAGA hats.” Then he wondered if it would make them targets for harassment, even in Oklahoma City.

The app takes four criteria into consideration:

- Does this business serve persons of every political belief?

- Will this business protect its customers if they are attacked for political reasons?

- Does this business allow legal concealed carry under this state’s laws?

- Does this business avoid politics in its ads and social media postings?

Ratings for “63red” on Google Play and Apple’s app store hovered around 2.5 out of 5 stars, thanks to dozens of mostly polarized reviews. Some gave props to the app’s aim: “Finally, I am able to avoid places which don’t respect America and [the] US Constitution. Eat your heart out, snowflakes,” wrote one user, who rated the app five stars. Others promised to use it to identify MAGA-friendly establishments for a 180-degree about face purpose -- “so you know what business to avoid and boycott,” according to someone who rated the app one star.

And what's with the name, "63red Safe"? Don't look for some deep meaning as Wallace swears there is no hidden message or conspiracy theory behind the app’s name, which he chose at random.

“Everyone asks. It means nothing at all, absolutely nothing,” he said. “It’s a good-looking logo. It’s a unique name.”

The "Green Book" reference in this article's headline is a nod to the “Green Book” guide that listed safe establishments for African-American motorists during the Jim Crow era in the South, and it was also the title of 2018 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture.