Grade school kids confused for gang members at Elitch

This is ALMOST as crazy as CP kicking out the cross dresser.

But was that 9 year old flashing a gang sign in his picture.

How would 5 & 9 year olds know about a gang in LA?

Im sure the kids weren't the ones that cared -nor the ones that complained (if you get my drift). The kids complied, end of story. Had the children rufused the park could either give them a refund of the ticket price or free park shirts to wear.

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The Other Siebert

Now the kid will have a complex anytime Sesame Street is sponsored by the number "13" and the letter "G."

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"Let's stop saying 'don't quote me,' because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying." - Dogma, KMFDM

I don't see why the mother or parents, whoever it was had to call the news. That is completly out of line. So what, your kids had to wear their shirts inside out. It's not like they cared. The park has really looked bad this year due to all the media attention it got around the death, the mind eraser, and now this. Heaven Forbid they show something good about the park...

The park should get bad publicity for this. The woman had every right to call the news. No park should be this stupid.

First of all, Jeff that last one is hilarious. Secondly, all children who look up to a person like Kurt Warner should be forbidden to do anything in public. I mean this guy will do nothing but instill good ethics and morals in young people. How disgusting is that. We need more positive role models like Iverson, Albert Belle, etc... etc... They are the true heroes of our society. Yes, that was sarcasm, except the part about Jeff's post. This only begs the question, what would they do if someone were wearing a Dan Hinote jersey. Not that there's an overabundance, but they do exist. What would they do then? If only Elway had worn 13.

I suppose the SFEG will not allow the Broncos Draft pick, WR #13 Herb Haygood to even show his face in the park. Heaven knows what would happen if he becomes a star and people start buying his jersey.
*** This post was edited by Joe E. on 8/13/2002. ***

My guess is this comes down to no exceptions, is this case, even if it is kids.

Well, they should print it in their bulletin regarding what is and what is not acceptable clothing for the park.

I can't wait for the day of "Please note that the colors RED and BLUE are not allowed in the park, this includes BLUE jeans. If you are seen wearing anything of either of these colors you will be asked to turn it inside out. Failing this you will be taken care of by beeing escorted out of the park with no refund. Thank you and please enjoy your day at Six Flags."

I think that SFEG is in a state of denial that the Broncos suck. I just flew back from Pittsburgh, and while I am a Steelers fan, and they did not advance to the Superbowl, I did not experience any Steeler shirts being removed at Kennywood on Saturday. Or any other shirts for that matter. Terrible PR. Terrible.

The number 13 is associated with gangs in LA? I'll give you a number....1....and guess which finger I'm holding up.

When I worked at a nightclub we prohibited any bandanas from being worn by anyone. Easier to deal with that blanket policy then some idiot getting pissed off over nothing. If they really feel that wearing the 13 was somehow putting the kids in danger (I don't belive they thought the kids were in a gang) then they can do what they feel they need to do. Stupid stuff like that does happen to people who have no idea what they are wearing. When I drove a blue car I had to avoid going through certain areas of the city. We had a person shot to death here in St. Louis a few years ago because he hung up a sign for a church dinner that was on red cardboard.

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Jeff-Jeff
Wood - Raven
Steel - Millennium Force
Generic, isn't it?

I have seen it all, whats he going to knief someone.

Yes, I think that anyone who thinks a 5 year old who is at a park WITH HIS PARENTS could be in a gang or wearing gang-related material is an idiot. Six Flags was way out of line here.

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The only way i can even make sense of SFs decision is if they were worried that by wearing the #13 the children were making themselves a target of some sort of gang violence. But they should have told the kids and their family that.

Hey Agent Johnson- First off, the Broncos and the Rams are not really rivals. Second, SFEG didn't do this, one employee did. Third, SFEG does not refuse service to people in red wings, chiefs, or any other jersey. This had nothing to do with the Jersey, it had to do with the number. The employee was out of line, but so was the mother to make a deal out of it. We encounter inconviences larger than this everyday and we deal with it, she just wanted to make someone look bad.

Maybe it's just me, and the fact that I have *known* nine year olds heavily influence by "gang activity" but I didnt think the response was too far out of line. They didnt handcuff the kids, they didnt round up the posse, they didnt even ask them to take the shirts off, simply turn them inside out.

I recall back in the late eighties/early nineties when many establishments discouraged wearing red&black or blue&black because of their associated gang connotations. More on point, I remember the black and gold Pitsburgh Pirates hats being a signifier of the "Black P-stone Rangers game in Chi and those hat were (at least unnofficially) banned from schools.

But what most distresses me is that so many here have given the impression that these kids *could not* have been involved in anything (not that I think they were) but what are you basing this on? What, they dont *look* like gangbangers (aside from having the associated clothing)? What, praytell, does a gang banger look like?

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"To get inside this head of mine, would take a monkey-wrench, and a lot of wine" Res How I Do

A 9 year old maybe, but I don't think a 5 year old would know how to spell "gang" let alone know what one is. Plus these kids were with there grandparents, not like they were running around with a rowdy group such as those kids form Barney.

I say wear what you want. Why even acknowledge gangs by giving in to worrying what they wear.

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Why acknowledge gangs? So they don't shoot people at your park. (Granted, in this case, it'd be a squirt gun, but still...)

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"When I was growing up, we were taught something called manners. You'd understand that if you weren't such an idiot." - Jack Handey