A Student in Gangster's Clothing

As for the kid wearing is cap backwards: Even a duck knows that the bill goes in front.

What on earth does this have to do with the "Latino Community?"

Does a kid have to be of Mexican ancestry in order to be a gang banger? I grew up in Chicago, and as I recall, gangbangers and losers in general come in a variety of models, not just brown ones.

So, knock it off already with the "Latino Community" garbage. This isn't a a brown issue; it's a societal issue.

Pretending this is "just a style" misses the point entirely. This "style" has its roots in gang attire. It IS gang attire. Anybody with three functioning brain cells knows it, so let's just quit dancing around trying to make this a racial issue. Ryan Cook and Hunter Myers are white kids...all dressed up like gangbangers. The kids in the other picture were brown kids.

Is the scowl part of the gang uniform they're all wearing?

They all look like losers...and my guess is they are anything but. I bet they are all bright kids...with zero guidance or structure in their lives.

Heaven forbid we should upset these kids or.."make economically unfortunate kids buy new clothes."

How about...don't buy your kids this crap to start with? What a concept!

How about school uniforms? The schools I attended required uniforms; that takes care of the gang garbage, the potential for a kid to accidentally wear the wrong color or shoes that could get him killed, and levels the sartorial playing field between the rich and poor kids.

Sorta ends the "we're too poor to buy new clothes" excuse, doesn't it?

And as a side benefit, wearing uniforms fosters independence. Kids flex their mental muscle a lot more when they aren't relying on their clothes to speak for them.

I know none of this is PC, but tough. We have kids killing each other over their shoes. These kids all look like gangbangers, whether they are or not...and that is the point; even a sidewalk commando can look like a gangster...all he has to do is wear the uniform.

So, objections to uniforms won't fly either; these kids are already wearing one, and it IS the gang uniform.

Thats true uniforms or bust! this new rule is just an excuse or cover up to the fact that the schools and the parents have failed! grab your nut*! and make change! take command and lead our kids! Once again you have failed! Santa Barbara!

Doesn't anyone else think that this comes awfully close to infringing on free speech? I think the clothing looks just plain dumb. And I'm certainly not in favor of kids fighting, let alone killing each other, over which side of town they live on.

But where are we going to draw the line? Are we going to see kids expelled because they wear a USA belt buckle to school?

What happens when a group of kids all show up wearing the same symbol- and it's not on our list? Are we going to ban that symbol?

Are we going to ban Oakland Raiders clothing? What would the NFL think about that? Maybe all NFL clothing? Maybe we should ban all major league sports paraphanalia, since it could be used to indicate gang affiliation?

Quick question- what's the difference between a gang and a fraternity/sorority or sports team? Violence. People join groups in our society all the time. We have the Dodger fans and the Angels fans. We have the Alpha Zeta Sigmas and the Boy Scouts.

The problem is the violence. Trying to stop it by restricting what kinds of cloths they can wear is only going to teach them that people in power can make stupid and petty rules to push around people who are not in power.

Clearly, gang violence stems from specific t-shirts and not economic disadvantage. I applaud the school district's groundbreaking policy.

School uniforms are a tried and true and successful method throughout the world.

Maybe the parents of these gangsters and wannabes then will start to think about why they are buying a school uniform?

How much local money and effort are we all paying to subsidize bad parenting?

Ironically, I believe this dress code will promote gang membership. The white and black t-shirts are largely a condition of poverty. Banning poverty is absurd. The economic conditions for gang kids reflect poverty. Gangs are a support system for semi-street kids whose families pay high Santa Barbara rents and are working 12 hour days.

If you want uniforms, great, but if poor kids don't bring them, do they all get kicked out and put into "Gang School" where poverty and gangs will merge?

Aaahhem , but has anyone priced school uniforms lately ?
and since the parents can only usually afford one set type of clothes this would mean that the kids would have to wear the uniform for all their daily activities..even gang activity.
This which would in turn make the uniform gang attire if they are involved .
An attire code and training would be good.. common sense and personal pride would be best to teach.
The life/study skills curriculum should include acceptable attire and personal appearance. When to talk slang and who not to inorder to get a better reaction for something you need or want .
Tucked in shirts, no hats indoors or at school , clean fitted pants. No strap shirts and to the knee length skirts for girls .
This would set a good standard for future events in their lives like jobs.