White T-Shirt Blues

Plain white T-shirt newest symbol for gangs, cops say

August 29, 2005

BY ANNIE SWEENEY Crime Reporter

Colors -- blue, black, red and others -- have long trumpeted gang affiliation on Chicago's corners.

But cops are noticing a new trend in neighborhoods where drugs are peddled -- a plain white T-shirt.

The idea is that if you look like everyone else on the corner, the police might have a harder time finding you. Some call it "urban camouflage."

Although colors have not faded completely from gangs, there are criminally economic reasons to wear white, investigators say.

"There are different occasions -- occasions to represent and occasions to do business,'' said Sgt. James Fiduccia of the Chicago Police Department's Gang Intelligence Section. "They are using urban camouflage to blend in.''

Rap song may add to the allure

As a group and from a distance, the teens -- and some adults -- are nearly indistinguishable in the same oversize white T's. At a recent picnic of suspected gang members, officers who were in the area said the statement was undeniable.

"There was anywhere up to 400 to 600 people all wearing white,'' Fiduccia said. "It was brand new T-shirts. You could see the creases.''

Fiduccia said the trend is a few years old, and it's common among all gangs. He and other gang investigators stress that the white shirts don't signal a gang -- just the potentially criminal behavior of gang members, or anyone else, who might want to avoid arrest.

"We're seeing it more around drug areas,'' said Cmdr. Mike Cronin, head of gang intelligence.

"When you see a description of 5 feet 8 inches, 150 pounds, wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt, where do you start?''

The T-shirt is the subject of a rap song by Dem Franchize Boyz, which notes how affordable the tops are.

A look of 'rebellion'

Still, a University of Illinois at Chicago professor who has spent several years studying Chicago gangs cautioned that a lot of kids wearing the shirts are doing what James Dean did in his white T -- rebelling and not much else. And this particular song, which is quite catchy, adds to the allure of the look, said UIC's John Hagedorn.

"Listen to it once, and you'll get it,'' Hagedorn said. "If you're a kid and you hear it, you'll want to run out and get a big T. They see it as resistance and rebellion.''

Hagedorn allowed, however, that some kids take the rebellion too seriously and are deep into gangs.

At least one suburban high school has banned the shirts because of the ties to street gangs.
Joliet Police Detective Francis Ruettiger said he noticed the trend last summer, and at the start of school in 2004, he saw members of a gang handing out the shirts at Joliet Township Alternate School, where he is assigned. The tops have been banned since.

Fiduccia said the shirts are only a "minor diversion'' to drug investigations. Most gang and tactical officers are familiar with well-known dealers.

But he said residents calling police about suspicious behavior might help a beat officer by paying attention to other details -- a shoe, jewelry or a tattoo.

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