In wake of the Wednesday's BART path shooting where two teen boys from Albany High School were shot by two young men along El Cerrito's Ohlone Greenway, readers have questioned whether the attack was over a pair of gang-related shoes.
Albany High Principal Ted Barone sent out a letter to the community after the shooting that said: "What we understand is that they were approached by two men who asked about their shoes."
while the other teen suffered injuries that appeared to be superficial, according to El Cerrito police.
A reader commented saying, "two boys were shot on Monday, in a 'nice neighborhood' in Brentwood, because they were wearing Nike Cortez shoes." The reader said these shoes are symbols of gang affiliation.
The Contra Costa Times reports that a car had pulled up and a passenger asked about the boy's Nike Cortezes, claiming "Gang members like to wear those." The car opened fire among the boys shortly after.
The reader said there are various gang emblems, colors, and other markings that are now being sold by sports clothing stores.
"There is a whole industry now marketing gang-only clothing, with extremely subtle markings, in even the most upscale places," the reader added.
Another reader commented on El Cerrito Patch's Facebook page: "We need to ban gang shoes from [El Cerrito] and Albany."
What do you think about these gang-related shoes and articles of clothing?
Have you seen any that you were able to identify?
Do they need to be banned at schools?
While the incident is obviously a scary occurrence and everyone agrees that it's a awful thing (and hoping for the best for the victims), suggesting some kind of "ban" on clothing is patently absurd. Who would "ban" the shoes - Nike? People can just choose to not wear certain clothing, drive certain cars, etc. Jeez, are some Albany residents really that naive? I really wonder after reading some of the irrational comments on Patch this past year and of course finding out how a number of residents fell for the "megamall" Whole Foods argument/shenanigans.
Ban some styles of clothing, and others will be quickly adopted. How about a law against wearing pants with the waistband below the hips? How about banning red and blue bandanas, or anything else that's red or blue? And what happens when, as has been the case in so many places in the US, the gangs simply identify with a particular sports team? Let's face it, banning clothing styles makes far less sense than enforcing existing gun laws and extending restrictions to ammunition. And we know how far *those* ideas have gone so far ...
tox-screen on them. I would bet they were smoking pot. I know we will never get the truth due to the fact they are u18. however I strongly believe they were smoking or looking to score. A lot of the young Albany kids and the illegal students seem to embrace this gang life style. So if it walks like duck and quacks like a duck then it must be a duck. It was a good lesson to learn. They are alive & are able to change they way they act/dress
let's continue to focus on the positive of the many kids who contribute good to all of society. It is evident this is not a isolated incident. Rich or poor, regardless of your ethnicity, even adults can be mistaken as Gang member. Gangs and violence are everywhere in our society. Everyone must ask himself or herself am I a part of the solution or a part of the problem. It is not Nikes fault that negative people and positive people like shoes. They are just selling a product people buy. If I don't like a shoe I do not it.
I was living in a town about 10 years ago where a guy in his 40's was shot dead because he was wearing clothing from a particular sports team. Problem is, his sister and her kids lived in a neighborhood that was turf to a gang who wore clothes from that team's division rivals. The victim had no gang affiliations, and no criminal record. A number of years ago, having just moved to CA, I was at the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk with friends. It was a hot day, so I did what I'd done so many times before - I pulled out a (red) bandana and wrapped it over my head. After about 30 seconds a pair of cops stopped me, looking at me like I was an idiot, and told me to "take the red rag off, sir." One of my friends realized what was going on and after I pulled the bandana off and stuck it in my pocket, he asked, "Haven't you ever heard of that's a gang symbol?"
It bothers me that people leave comments treating speculation as fact. It bothers me more that The Patch validates this by writing articles based on the speculation, and cites an incident in a different city as support. Do the editors of The Patch have any journalistic standards? Or are they just interested in increasing readership by whipping up people's fears and spreading rumors? Charles Burress recently stepped down as the editor of El Cerrito Patch. I don't remember anything this low happening under his leadership.
I'm also thinking of you, and all the other students. You all are our future; the students in our community are our kids. Nobody deserves to get shot -- over shoes, or in an argument, or for any other senseless reason. It scares me when that happens, and it must be very frightening and upsetting to you and your friends. I'm very interested in what students think about how to make things safer. Take care, Kathy
QUESTIONS 4 U: Are young people in El Cerrito ( ages..approx 9 and up) feeling a false sense of safety to wear any colors/clothing- without regard to how it might be seen by others who are gang-involved? Are there enough gang education forums for parents/residents? Are there dress codes/color codes in the schools in El Cerrito?