Teens wearing red bandanas - Innocent fashion statement or risk-taking behavior

Has anyone had to deal with their kids wanting to wear clothes that could be construed as being gang-related? Specifically, wearing bandanas?

Red & blue bandana's are typically associated with Bloods and Cryps, especially if worn hanging out of a back pocket. What about kids who wear them around their baseball hats?

Is it an overreaction to caution parents about kids wearing these potential gang symbols?

Thoughts and opinions???

I think it depends on where your at. If the childs wearing it in inner city areas with high gang activity, then yes I'd be concerned.

Not innercity but I do know about gang activity in the area.

This is really hard to say, as it IS a current fasion trend as well - albeit, one thats based off of trying to look tough i think.

I think it really depends on the person to be honest and who is there surrounding clique.

I think that part of the problem is that when we think of gangs we think inner city, which is not the reality anymore.

I think as a parent here, I'd fall into the catagory of better safe than sorry. Fashionable or not, if it'll get you injured, you're not wearing it.

if they were to happen to come across a gang member of a different color they could be in serious trouble even though they are not in a gang. I would not allow them to wear the colors of any kind.

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bebop said:
if they were to happen to come across a gang member of a different color they could be in serious trouble even though they are not in a gang. I would not allow them to wear the colors of any kind.

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Thats also kind of what I was thinking. For instance, here, wearing black shoes and red laces is considered a sign of being nazi. I have heard of punk kids being assaulted because of that fact, because it is automatically assumed that that is what they mean.

Can you sit down with them and explain the whys of why it might be dangerous and they might want to think twice about it? In an age appropriate way of course.

<font color="purple">It really just depends on the individual child I think.

I remember one of our good chidhood friends wore a blue bandana and was talking about joining a gang when we were at the end of elementary school. I don't know what happened to him, it's pretty sad. He was such a good kid, just in a messed up enviorment, so sad too see him follow in his parents footsteps. We didn't live in the city either, but ever since people have been moving up here from NYC and Albany, they brought alot of their influences with them. </font>

Definatly depends on the area, where I'm from there isn't really any gangs and bandanas are not worn except for working out in a cow pasture or doing feild work, so around here someone caring around a bandana means nothing except they just came out from bailing hay or use it to wipe sweat.
But there is a group that likes to cause trouble and they where reble flags and have them tied to their vechiles.

I wouldn't let them where the bandanas out of cation and explain why, maybe take a look into what are gang symbols in your area as well by talking to local authorties or a school princapl.

as a teen in london - this sounds almost definitely like the bloods gang, or one of the smaller gangs inside that. infact, red bandannas with aerohats mean their in the gang MDP = most dangerous persons. this is the most dominant over here and have been rumoured to be responsible for the recent stabbings of two teenagers in the hammersmith area. if you live in london especially, have a word with them. gang life is portrayed to be glamourous and exciting, but the reality is really, not so sweet.

p.s as others previously said - wearing these can risk other gangs starting on them. if they for example go into a different postcode where the crips or another rival gang (or any gang wearing other coloured bandannas) were dominant then it'd be likely that theyd get jacked (have their phone, money, ipod etc stolen) or possibly even hurt, have a word with these kids and if you've got any questions feel free to ask me.

x.

Thanks for the encouragement, bananasarecool! Just out of curiosity... What is an aerohat?

It doesn't take much for gang members to take offense, and they often don't stop to think being in such high, aggressive gear. Case in point: Two girls were talking in the car, one being deaf, they were using sign language. At a traffic light, gang members from another car got out and attacked them, thinking they were using gang signs.

Some times you just gotta say no. (But explain why and see if they can use the argument to their friends too.)

TC

I live in NYC in a neighborhood filled with gangs and drugs and shootings and I know that I shouldn't wear any color bandanas outside cause its just not the red or blue and blacks ones anymore there are a lot of them like light pink and dark pink and baby blue etc. Anyways they also attack people who don't wear those colors mostly young guys, my cousin was attack by a group a couple of months ago because he refused to get associated with them. anyways what i'm trying to say is that we're always in danger and that its all color babdanas that are involved.

I live in a little town of about 9,500 people, luckily there are no gangs here. I mean yeah we have a few skinheads and a couple of "gangs" which are made up of like 4 people. Two towns over is a city of about 100,000 people that is one of the most violent and deadly in my state and a lot their crime is moving into the smaller towns that surround it.

an aerohat is a slang english term (to my knowledge ;s) what you'd generally call a large baseball cap with a new york yankees sign or something similar. also, to be seen in a different part of your city wearing their gang colours can be seen as taking the mick and a threat, so if your kids are doing it to aggrovate you need to talk to them asap.

taveres7, enjoy it while it lasts. our suburbian town used to be free of gangs and that culture, but gradually thingsve gotten worse here. you never know what people are up to.

x.

Thanks! Always good to update the vocabulary...

interesting... we dont have any gangs that i know of... maybe some in the worser parts of the biggest cities like amsterdam, rotterdam, the hague..
My brother wears bandana's but thats because he's bald from all the chemo. Here nobody would think anything of that though. Either way he doesnt get out much now anyway
here the brand Lonsdale is associated with racism, however it is not made with that purpose.. and i know people wearing it might not be aware of it.

and yeah if it MIGHT be dangerous dont let them wear it. But explain why or they'd just do it behind your back

Where I live this would be a very dangerous thing to do;"colors" are very unique and represent the unit. We have gangs and they are very territorial.