Santa's helpers, beware. Kids whose Christmas wish list include bandanas, certain brands of tennis shoes and big, baggy clothing, could be unknowingly putting themselves in harm's way.
Or they might be dabbling in gang activity.Either way, parents should take note, ask questions and refuse to let that kind of gear end up under the Christmas tree, said Michelle Arciaga of the Salt Lake Area Gang Project.
Gangs across the country use fashion to unify themselves with each other and to separate themselves from other gangs.
"We're not saying that every kid who wears these clothes is involved. A good percentage of them are, but not every kid," Arciaga said. "Sometimes, by wearing this stuff, your child could be sending a message that gang kids will read and act on. They're not going to stop and ask questions."
That message can sometimes be as serious as a death threat, Arciaga said.
To help parents better understand what to watch for, Arciaga offers the following examples of gang-culture clothing:
- Dickie or Ben Davis brand clothing, which are commonly referred to as a gang's "uniform."
- Nike "Cortez" running shoes. In red or dark blue, these are commonly called "G," or gangster, Nikes and are a distinguishing part of a gang uniform.
- British Knights tennis shoes. "BK" stands for "blood killer" in local gangs, and represents a death threat against another gang.
- Calvin Klein clothing, especially items featuring a large "CK" logo. The letters stand for "Crip Killer" within the gang culture and represent a death threat to other gangs.
Arciaga said the clothing with the Calvin Klein logo is among the newest and fastest growing addition to the gang-culture clothing trends.
In addition, she advises parents to look for other distinguishing clothing, such as red or blue cloth belts that are left hanging long down the leg or bandanas, both of which can indicate gang affiliation.
Gang members also frequently wear their pants sagging below the underwear line, dress from head to toe in one color, particularly red, blue, green or brown.
In some cases, body piercing or tattooing can also be gang identifiers, Aricaga said.
"Legally, we can't ask these manufacturers not to sell something or tell people not to buy certain things," she said. "But what we do want parents to know is that these things have messages that make them dangerous in the community, and we want to help them make good decisions."
Arciaga said the gang culture in the Salt Lake area and around the country appears increasingly violent.
"It's evolved into something worse that it used to be," she said. "The thing that we say is that it is better to be safe than sorry. So, if you have to go overboard with your kids and say you're not going to buy this, that's probably better."