Patterns and stripes go next
School bans solid T-shirts to counter gangs
We’ve previously chronicled various schools who fear the color pink. Who would have thought that there would be a school afraid of all colors?
Northridge Middle School is banning a staple of the teenage wardrobe: solid-colored T-shirts.
Principal Tom Bridges said he is especially concerned about students coordinating their shirt colors because it might indicate gang activity at the northeast Charlotte school.
“We’d heard on Thursday that there might be something happening Friday with kids wearing white T-shirts,” Bridges said. “It was a small number of kids, but we decided to deal with it.”
Ah, that explains it. A small number of students were going to wear white shirts for one day. That completely validates banning all solid colored T-shirts.
Bridges said staff members are especially watching for groups of students wearing colors associated with gangs, such as white or pink.
There’s that pink again. Gangs just aren’t what they were in my day. Wait, there were no gangs in my high school - just like at Northridge.
School spokeswoman Jerri Haigler said that although some high schools — including West Mecklenburg High School and Olympic High School — have also banned solid colored T-shirts, she is not aware of any other Charlotte-Mecklenburg middle schools that have done so.
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Haigler also said there is no evidence of a gang presence at Northridge.
Students who come to school in a solid colored T-shirts will now receive a new blue and green T-shirt. Free T-shirts? I think it’s pretty obvious what I’d be doing as a Northridge student. Blue and green are my favorite colors after all.
(Tip credit to Jason A. Trommetter)
I’ve long wondered why schools don’t simply adopt mandatory uniforms. Now I know why. All those kids in white polos and blue pants could only signify one thing. A gang.
Maybe Uniforms?
Patterns and stripes go next “We’ve previously chronicled various schools who fear the color pink. Who would have thought that…
During the Vietnam War, the United States Supreme Court upheld the rights of students to wear black armbands to school in protest of the war. Justice Abe Fortas wrote as follows:
�In our system, undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression. Any departure from absolute regimentation may cause trouble. Any variation from the majority’s opinion may inspire fear. Any word spoken, in class, in the lunchroom, or on the campus, that deviates from the views of another person may start an argument or cause a disturbance. But our Constitution says we must take this risk, and our history says that it is this sort of hazardous freedom–this kind of openness–that is the basis of our national strength and of the independence and vigor of Americans who grow up and live in this relatively permissive, often disputatious, society.
. . .
�In our system, state-operated schools may not be enclaves of totalitarianism. School officials do not possess absolute authority over their students. Students in school as well as out of school are ‘persons’ under our Constitution. They are possessed of fundamental rights which the State must respect, just as they themselves must respect their obligations to the State. In our system, students may not be regarded as closed-circuit recipients of only that which the State chooses to communicate. They may not be confined to the expression of those sentiments that are officially approved. In the absence of a specific showing of constitutionally valid reasons to regulate their speech, students are entitled to freedom of expression of their views. As Judge Gewin, speaking for the Fifth Circuit, said, school officials cannot suppress ‘expressions of feelings with which they do not wish to contend.’�
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School Dist., 393 U.S. 503, 508-11, 89 S.Ct. 733 (1969)
There was an article on school dress codes in Parade Magazine last Sunday. One kid said Why don’t the schools just issue jumpsuits with barcodes on the back?
A charter school in Buffalo, NY, wanted to issue uniforms with a tracking device inside the uniform, so they could “track” kids as they get on and off the bus, moved around the building, etc. They decided on a lanyard instead.
Public schools get scarier and scarier every day, as well as stupider and stupider.
Stupid and scary — lethal combination.
Gee, solid color T-shirts mean a gang.
The Principal wears a white shirt.
The Vice-Principal wears a white shirt.
Teach wears a white shirt.
Quick, call the cops. Its a gangmeeting!
i think that pink t-shirts should not be banned from the schools campus. pink is just like any other color around here.and just because girls wear that color doesn’t mean that guys cannot wear it also.
i am currently righting a essay on the banning of solid color t-shirts, anyone with some interesting fact could e-mail me. i think it is stupid to ban solid color t shirts, i mean u can get 3 for $5… ya cant beat that at AE now can you? i like them b/c they are comfortable and cheap, so i can work in them or whatever, but what about kids that cant afford much more?
I GO TO NORTHRIDGE!!! I was there when they banned them last year. I was a 7th grader. The whole thing was about a fight between 7th grade and 8th grade. 7th grade made a plan to wear white tees to represent the 7th grade. Word got to every grade and administrator. It traveled so far to Dr. Bridges that he decided to ban white and pink tees. We can wear other solid color tees but not whtie and pink. We still wear them but under another solid color tee. Thats crazy though because Blue and red tees are more gang related than white and pink tees!!
well actually no white tees dont mean shit… but yeah a pink tee is associated with the bloods so yeah ban it but i think that schools should worry about graduation scores and funding… i mean… what is school for? but why dont they ban brown and tan colored shirts too… cuz those are for the bloods too, welll at least on the east side… and whats worse 7th and 8th grade fights… or actual “real” gangs seventh and eight grade fights wont last and at my school they have junior senior wars… the school doesnt give a damn… we got kids representing phoenix… yeah yeah a gang but as everybody else says… why dont they take stripes or something because it is a self expression phase… and when METH is the most used drug… just as marijuana… are gangs that important? yes we need to adress it because you cant let it slip by unnoticed… but really… just leave it to the authorities.
John Maurello