New Era Pulls Gang Caps

[Dirt Dog]

This one caught my eye. Didn't know if anyone was aware it occurred. Video Footage

Hat Maker Pulls MLB Caps Made for Gangs
Friday, August 24, 2007
By Larry McShane, AP Writer

New York —

A lineup of team logo baseball caps denounced as tailor-made for gang members was ordered removed from store shelves by its manufacturer Friday after complaints from baseball officials.

"It has been brought to our attention that some combinations of icons and colors on a select number of our caps could be too closely perceived to be in association with gangs," said Christopher H. Koch, CEO of New Era Cap. "In response, we, along with Major League Baseball, have pulled those caps."

The three styles in question used colors and symbols linked to three gangs: an all-white cap with a blue bandanna, the trademark of the notorious Crips; an all-white cap with a red bandanna worn by the rival Bloods; and a black cap with a gold team logo and an embroidered crown, a symbol favored by the Latin Kings.

"We encouraged and now fully support the decision of cap manufacturer New Era to pull these caps and any others that feature offensive or concerning symbols," read an MLB statement.

The New York Yankees had joined an anti-gang group, Peace on the Street, in denouncing the hats.

Both MLB and the Yankees insisted they were unaware of the symbolism in the cap designs, with the New York team noting they were never given a chance to review the new hats until they were already for sale.

The team was "completely unaware that caps with gang-related logos and colors had been manufactured with the New York Yankees logo on them," said a Yankees statement. "The New York Yankees oppose any garment that may be associated with gangs or gang-related activity."

On Thursday, protesters demonstrated about the new caps outside several Manhattan stores carrying the merchandise. The stores were selling a version of the hats bearing the familiar interlocking "NY" logo of the Yankees.

Richard Garcia, a karate instructor who works with Peace on the Street to provide youngsters with alternatives to gangs, said he immediately recognized the hats' colors from his work with former gang members. "My fear was that the wrong kid was going to wear the wrong hat in the wrong neighborhood and get hurt," he said.

New Era said it would increase its efforts to ensure it had a better working knowledge of gang symbols, names and locations. The Buffalo-based company has produced hats for Major League Baseball since the 1930s.



I don't think New Era specifically made these caps for these gangs but rather these gangs or whoever might have adopted these caps since they could be easily identified when wearing them. Damn Yankees!

[SamtheBravesFan]

I just don't like any of those caps. At all. No skin off of my nose if they pull them.

[Doug Miller]

I don't think New Era specifically made these caps for these gangs but rather these gangs or whoever might have adopted these caps since they could be easily identified when wearing them. Damn Yankees!

New Era knew exactly what they were doing; they were marketing to specific target markets with the colors and symbols. The red, blue, and gold are all well known gang colors -- when you throw in the crown on the gold too. New Era is insulting your intelligence if they say otherwise.

They were taking it to the next step for the kids that leave the stickers on the hats to make it look like they stole it. Everytime I see a kid with the big sticker still on the bill, I just shake my head at the ignorance. Yeah, you look really cool.

Doug

[SamtheBravesFan]

New Era knew exactly what they were doing; they were marketing to specific target markets with the colors and symbols. The red, blue, and gold are all well known gang colors -- when you throw in the crown on the gold too. New Era is insulting your intelligence if they say otherwise.

They were taking it to the next step for the kids that leave the stickers on the hats to make it look like they stole it. Everytime I see a kid with the big sticker still on the bill, I just shake my head at the ignorance. Yeah, you look really cool.

Doug

Heh heh heh heh. It was because of that sticker thing that I leave the "official license" sticker on any new caps I buy until I wash them; it's usually on the bottom of the brim. That's MY own brand of coolness.

[natsnsoxfan]

Yeah, I'd say New Era knew what they were doing with these. I'm no expert on gang symbols and what not. But as far as I know red bandana=bloods and blue bandana=crips.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Yeah, I'd say New Era knew what they were doing with these. I'm no expert on gang symbols and what not. But as far as I know red bandana=bloods and blue bandana=crips.

I once read something that said even regular ball caps and football jerseys are gang symbols too, but that was years ago. I have no idea if that's true or not.

[NYMets523]

Hopefully they'll stop making those putrid BP hats too.

[Mattingly]

I once read something that said even regular ball caps and football jerseys are gang symbols too, but that was years ago. I have no idea if that's true or not.

The only examples of these that I know of (I'm totally unfamiliar with gang colors overall) is that the Latin Kings, a gang somewhat prominent in NYC, uses the black & gold colors. Therefore, Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers have those colors without modification.

For that reason, if I see a Pirates cap on someone, especially lacking any other common baseball items, such as a t-shirt or jersey, I'm very wary about that person. Since NFL fans don't t often wear baseball caps, if I see a Pirates cap and a Steelers jersey, I'm especially wary if outside of the Pittsburgh/Philly area.


Latin Queens



From HBO: LATIN KINGS: A STREET GANG STORY

[bryanac625]

In short I would never wear one of those caps because the rival gang might see me and associate me with the "other" gang and beat me up, or even kill me.

[Paulypal]

So here I am typing into cyberspace in the year 2007, but at the same time somewhere not too far from me if I wear the wrong hat someone is looking to kill me.

As far as we have gone, we have gone no where.

[TonyStarks]

New Era knew exactly what they were doing; they were marketing to specific target markets with the colors and symbols. The red, blue, and gold are all well known gang colors -- when you throw in the crown on the gold too. New Era is insulting your intelligence if they say otherwise.

They were taking it to the next step for the kids that leave the stickers on the hats to make it look like they stole it. Everytime I see a kid with the big sticker still on the bill, I just shake my head at the ignorance. Yeah, you look really cool.

Doug

I agree. New ERA knew exactly what was going on when the caps were made!

There was no mistake made here, just that New ERA got caught.
Now the PR Blitz is on...

[Dirt Dog]

New Era knew exactly what they were doing; they were marketing to specific target markets with the colors and symbols. The red, blue, and gold are all well known gang colors -- when you throw in the crown on the gold too. New Era is insulting your intelligence if they say otherwise.

The caps with the bandana look also came in other colors...black, green, yellow, and orange, maybe more. I'm not sure what gang wears those colors. Those colors were not "targeted". That's why I didn't think that the company had made them specifically for the Bloods and Crips or any other thug wanna-be. I know high school kids that wear something close to these caps and its not b/c they are in a gang but that's what their school colors are. Just giving them the benefit of the doubt here, but I'm not that naive to think the company (or any other company) is above that. I mean they are in business and the bottom line is the dollar. Looks like a new marketing strategy went bad fast. The cap with the crown on it however is specifically made with something in mind.

[jenKins887]

They probably made the other bandana cap colors to cover up the fact that the red and blue ones were for some of the most notorious gangs ever.

[plask_stirlac]

Those are gang caps, like Doug Miller said it's a lie otherwise. Look at them, eyeball test. Okay, wannabe gangstas bought them too.

That doesn't mean New Era did a terrible thing. To me it's a stretch that getting a new hat will make people do more illegal activities for their gang. In the end it's a bandana (old) plus a cap (old), they didn't reinvent the wheel or introduce especially significant bandanas. But it's an unsavory way of making money.

[AutographCollector]

As per Ronnie "The Nightrain" Lane on XM channel 175:
"For now on whenever New Era comes out with a new line of hats, the FBI will be notified to look at them all to see if they look like "gang apparel."
My thoughts: Who exactly determines what is "gang apparel"?
What is "gang like" to one may not be to another.
Whatever happnened to a normal looking baseball hat!?!?!?!?

[Old Sweater]

Whatever happnened to a normal looking baseball hat!?!?!?!?

Not enough money for New ERA. Out of the hundreds of baseball caps I've seen the last 6 years at the pool hall I watch games at, only 4 are baseball fans. The rest is just being worn as a fad.

[AutographCollector]

Out of the hundreds of baseball caps I've seen the last 6 years at the pool hall I watch games at, only 4 are baseball fans. The rest is just being worn as a fad.

Sad. Isn't it?

[Old Sweater]

Sad. Isn't it?

Sure is. Nothing like arguing with a guy wearing a baseball cap to turn on a baseball game when they are watching soccer.

[Erik Bedard]

Offshoots of the Bloods are very prominent here in Baltimore. A common way to show that one is a member of one of these gangs is to wear red clothing, especially a bandanna. A cap with a red bandanna on it is unmistakeably a gang-affiliated article of clothing, just like an American flag is unmistakeably affiliated with America.

[digglahhh]

There is no way that New Era was unaware of this. If it were just the bandanna caps, I might be tempted to buy New Era's defense of ignorance - especially if the pattern was released in other colors as well. New Era has put out some off the wall patterns and such, and bandannas are worn by plenty average Joes working on their cars and so forth. But the black and gold Yankees hat, that's the nail in the coffin.

So, we are supposed to believe that, out of complete coincidence, the company happened to place a crown on the hat, and also randomly pick the colors that correspond to the ALKQN too?... Two random decisions that both happen to correspond to the same nationally known gang?... To anybody from the hood, or with experience with any of these gangs, New Era's claims of ignorance are insulting, pure hubris.

I almost don't even care that the company is marketing a product to gang members. Don't pretend you don't know what people are talking about when you get called on it though. Acting like you don't have a market research team, or any understanding of the young urban market, like we don't know you spend millions a year researching that very demographic...

[Ubiquitous]

What New Era did was wrong in the sense that we don't like it but they really did nothing wrong.

Even worst case scenario in which they specifically targeted gangs still isn't wrong on their part. New Era gets bashed because New Era represents the old time institution of baseball and baseball is pure. Yet the entire thug look and all of the merchandise that is sold to cater to "thug" society get a pass.

What about malls that allow gold/silver grille shops to set up inside their building? What about clothing stores that sell "thug" clothes? What about music that glamorizes gangs? So on and so on.

There is a very obvious market in the country for gang-related merchandise. New Era catered to that.

[digglahhh]

There is a very obvious market in the country for gang-related merchandise. New Era catered to that.

I hear you, Ubi, and I acknowledged that in my post. Products and advertisers cater and market to all sorts of unsavory aspects of our culture regularly. I don't condone it, but I'm not going to single out New Era for something that is far from endemic to them. Their pleading of ignorance is what angers me, basically because I find it insulting to my intelligence.

With that said, I'd be careful not to equate hip-hop fashion/culture, the dominant worldwide youth culture, btw, with gang culture or fashion, per se.

I don't know what specific gang platinum grilles represent.

Urban fashion trends are not gang-related, per se. Only particular artifacts thereof.

[Ubiquitous]

I think there is some confusion here. I am not saying that wearing a grille means you are part of the bloods or the knights. What I am saying is that wearing a grille is done for the thug/gang look. Much of the "urban" look while not being directly to tied to a specific gang is designed around the gang look.


PS. Let us also not forget that the White Sox purposefully changed their look to boost merchandise sales in the early 90's. To what look did they change too? Why to gang colors of course.

[Utility07]

White and black are gang colors?

[digglahhh]

I think there is some confusion here. I am not saying that wearing a grille means you are part of the bloods or the knights. What I am saying is that wearing a grille is done for the thug/gang look. Much of the "urban" look while not being directly to tied to a specific gang is designed around the gang look.


PS. Let us also not forget that the White Sox purposefully changed their look to boost merchandise sales in the early 90's. To what look did they change too? Why to gang colors of course.

I'll tell ya this, Dr. Dre and the "Nuthin' but a G Thing" video sold more White Sox hats than Frank Thomas...

Well, you did ask why New Era shouldn't get a pass, when a store that sells "thug clothing" (whatever that is) gets a pass. The difference is that New Era was marketing a product with a known gang-affiliated symbol/design on it. I'm not trying to get into an argument with you here, or accuse you of anything, Ubi, but if there was confusion it was precipitated by your apples to oranges comparison.

BTW, the Bloods and Crips released actual rap albums back in the day. I don't know if anybody else remembers these?

Bonus points for anybody who owned a Spice 1 album...