Saturday, February 21, 2009

Los Angeles: A Metropolis Defined by Attire





A sub-culture that has cultivated Los Angeles almost since the founding of the city is gang culture, and its presence has been identified through its style of clothing by communities and law enforcers alike.

In this blog post I’d like to discuss fashion as criminal behavior and compare the Zoot Suit boys from 1943 with contemporary rebellious youth in the city. The element of fashion in the gang sub-culture is an integral part of Los Angeles life because this form of expression has created tension in the past and the present.

To examine the current situation on the streets, it is important to first understand the conflicts with fashion in the history of Los Angeles. Identifying an individual and attributing their appearance to a street organization was what began a fiery of riots during World War II. Men dressed in baggy pants and long over-sized coats called “Zoot Suits” were identified as enemies to the community. This new style was a cultural hybrid for both Mexican-Americans and African Americans living in the city. “At a time when government officials, the media, and general public encouraged the American populace to be a cohesive and homogenized unit of wartime production, Zoot Suiter’s notion of style laid claim to a cultural citizenship the challenged wartime notions of race, gender, and nation as fundamentally white” (Alvarez 2001). This new style was such a threat to the American public that men dressed in U.S. uniform had to chase and beat these fashion-forward men. The events that were covered by the press as Zoot Suit Wars painted a picture of Anglo-Americans versus the esthetically unified minority. In The Power of the Zoot: Race, Community, and the Resistance in American Youth Culture, 1940-1945, Alvarez identifies the government as a suppressor of individualism and unity among an empowered group of young Mexican-American men.

In current times the style of crime has been created by a new designer. Many of the images that gang members uphold are seen on television through music videos and television shows. Those affiliated in organized crime are expected to be dressed in expensive European suits as depicted in cult-movies like The Godfather and Scareface. Whereas street organizations take on a less put-together look and are represented by Hip Hop superstars like Nate Dogg and Ice Cube. Through my observations I have found that one should not underestimate Los Angeles’ influence in the apparel industry because the youth are quick to mimic the look of these gangster rappers. In memoirs written by the co-founder of the notorious Los Angeles gang “Crips”, Tookie Williams writes, “I dressed to match the thug persona I had sculpted to mirror the territory” (Williams 2004). He expressed how his amplified confidence and thuggish style gave the youth in the area something to be afraid of. In Blue Rage, Black Redemption: A Memoir, Williams describes many characters to have the appearance of the contemporary version of the zoot suiter. Instead of loosely fitting suits, the style today is to wear over-sized jeans with a belt, colored converse shoes, large t-shirts and sports logos on hats and jackets. However this style is not as exclusive as the Zoot Suit, many young men who are not gang affiliated wear these clothes as a form of their own expression.

Aside from unifying their members by creating a family on the streets, the style of clothing gang members use have colors, emblems, and discrete symbols that are characteristics which define their set. In a manual used to help law enforcers identify gang members, the writer states that “It is common for street gangs to wear clothing which bears names, insignias and/or color schemes and patterns of college, professional, and other sports teams” (Gang Prevention 1997). With this type of literature, law enforcers can police those on the streets and more interestingly in any public arena including schools and nightclubs. Here lie the similarities between fashions of contemporary street organizations and those of the famed “Zoot Suiters.” Ironically, it would not be difficult to find gang members at school dances or Quinceaneras dressed in Zoot Suits to give an illusion of formal Mafioso attire.

The fact that law enforcers have gone to these lengths (publishing manuals) to try to identify gang clothes underscores the importance given to what an individual wears in public. Once a subtle detail, now wearing a color can alert a police officer and create a probable cause for questioning.



In Tupac Shakur’s song entitled “To Live and Die in L.A” he tells the listeners “Better learn about the dress code Bs and Cs--all them other niggaz copycats These is Gs.” He gives a warning and addresses the importance of understanding how to dress in the streets and shouts out two infamous gangs in Los Angeles: the Bloods and the Crips. The Bloods are known to dress in red, whereas the Crips are identified by the color blue. Rappers are often using these colors to show their affiliation, and their mass exposure creates a ripple affect in LA and in cities around the world.



Through my intake of rap lyrics I have witnessed examples of this from several Los Angeles Hip Hop stars such as Snoop Dogg, The Game and Dr. Dre. For instance, the lyrics of “Westside Story” by The Game, he rhymes, “Rap critics wanna converse, about this and that, 'cause red strings in this converse and this a Dre track.” Game acknowledges the press’s role in creating attention and speculation about what a rapper is wearing. The question he is addressing is how someone with red laces, the Blood color, could be rhyming on a beat produced by Dr. Dre, a Crip affiliate. What is not represented in the equation is how the other side, the men who are wearing the clothes and being attacked, feel about their undeserved criticism. The power is in the hands of the members of the media and the law enforcers, those who are using the clothes as a form of expression-- that is not in association with gang culture-- are victims to both crime and scrutiny.

In Gang Bangs and Drive-bys, a book written by William Sandars, the author examines how individuals die from mistaken identity during gang shoot-outs. In situations such as drive-bys, a young man dressed in a color that is associated with a rival gang can get killed if he is in the wrong neighborhood. This signifies the importance that gang members have put on their appearance and their territory. In The Gang Identification Manual there are several pictures of commercial brands such as the Playboy Bunny that is used by the “Vice Lord” gang, which utilized the straight ears to represent their set. The brand is global and its popularity can put an innocent person in a situation of confrontation and violence. What poses even more of a threat is the idea of meeting with a rival without knowing. “There is one kind of gang-related violence that is exhibited by all gangs---inter-gang conflict” (Cummings and Monti 1993). This fuzzy line is one that an individual can potentially cross in Los Angeles due to the different pockets of gang territory.

The idea of having a limited freedom to express ourselves conflicts with the basic rights of all Americans. However, there have been several instances where local governments have extended their laws to include the governing of citizen’s attire. For example, during the Zoot Suit era, the Los Angeles Police Department enforced laws to prohibit men from dressing in that style. Alfred Barela told municipal judge Arthur S Guerin at his court appearance that he was frustrated with being judged for his ethnicity and for what he wears, he said, “We’re tired of being told that we can’t go to this show or that dance hall because we’re Mexican… or that we can’t wear draped pants or have our hair cut the way we want to… I don’t want anymore trouble” (Sanchez 253).


On June 9, 1943 elected officials who were brought into office to represent the people of L.A. came to the conclusion that young men dressed in zoot suits were a part of Los Angeles in which they wished to annex out. “The City Council by Resolution finds that the wearing of Zoot Suits constitutes a public nuisance and does herby instruct the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance declaring same a nuisance and prohibit the wearing of Zoot Suits with reet pleats within the city limits of Los Angeles” (Mazón 75). The outlawing of the clothing is a testament to the tactics used by law enforcers to identify criminals or likeliness of criminal activity with those who are dressed a certain way. The sub-culture of the zoot-suit boys was essentially muted in order to create a sense of homogeneity in a city that was afraid of the uprising of a minority group. Community organizers created a mission to cleanse the boys of their criminal behavior by literally stripping them of it. “Directions were printed for the new comers on how to ‘de-zoot’ a boy: ‘grab a zooter. Take off his pants and frock coat and tear them up or burn them. Trim the “argentine ducktail that goes with the screwy costume” (Moore 59).



Furthermore, in today’s society suppression comes in subliminal messages. For instance Hip Hop stations that are based in L.A., like Power 106, often advertise events then read off a list of items of clothing that would prevent an individual from getting into the advertised place—thus shutting them out. These restrictions are strange because of the liberties associated with being a member of an artistic union that allows oppression by law enforcers who essentially profile people before they are allowed into events. At Hip Hop Mogul Jay-Z’s “40/40 Club” guests are not allowed to wear the following: sneakers, jerseys, baseball caps, doo-rags, work boots or timberlands, baggy or ripped jeans. It seems odd that a pioneer of some of the fashions banned would regulate such strict and edited attire. It brings out questions of image. Do the owners of these high-profile clubs want to disassociate themselves from people who wear street fashions? The underlying fact is that there is a stigma attached to these clothes that makes business associates believe that it would make their venue more vulnerable to civic disturbance.

In Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles: 1900-1945, Sánchez states that cultural change can take place without social mobility. Much like the Chicano’s adaptation of zoot suits, the clothing associated with gang culture in the city of Los Angeles has evolved and expanded beyond its cultural boarders. Those who used to model the clothes for the exposure such as Ice Cube and Jay-Z, have now taken on an alternative outfit that reflects their position in the entertainment business. It is unlikely that Ice Cube would attend a viewing of his feature family film with a “Compton” hat and converse sneakers. Although, these items that represent the starting years of west coast rappers are sold in skate shops along Venice Boulevard and major apparel retailers like Urban Outfitters. The consumer has changed but the rebellious factor remains the same.

Through my research I have found similarities between the Zoot Suit culture and the fashion movement that has been affiliated with gang members in Los Angeles. The response to the original styles by law enforcers and community members is the stigmatization of the fashion and the labeling of criminal activity. Since the Zoot Suit Riots in World War II, there have been efforts to disembody the movement of uniformed street attire in both local government and in an informal way through privately owned restaurant, clubs and bars. Furthermore, my research has helped me conclude that members of society justify their fear of a person based on the clothes that are worn by the individual. In turn, these laws are creating a dress code particularly through requiring a certain look at a bar, but also in a larger movement when banning baggy jeans at school or labeling a certain brand a direct affiliate to a gang. The subtle moves towards restricting the right for the public to own individual expression creates tension in society. These same tensions of criminality in association with clothing are what led to the Zoot Suit Riots in 1943 and to the eventual banning of the suits by the city of Los Angeles. What is being sacrificed for the illusion of safety is the freedom of individuals or groups of individuals to walk freely among other people who possess the same rights.



Work Cited

Alvarez, Luis Alberto. 2001. The Power of the Zoot: Race, Community, and the
Resistance in American Youth Culture, 1940-1945. Michigan: UMI Dissertation
Services.
Cummings, Scott and Daniel J. Monti. 1993. Gangs. New York: State University of New
York.
Game, The. 2004. Westside Story. Produced by Dr. Dre.
Gang Prevention Incorporated. 1997. The Street Gang Identification Manual. Chicago:
Gang Prevention Incorporated.
Mazón, Maurizio. 1984. The Zoot-Suit Riots: The Psychology of Symbolic Annihilation.
Texas: University of Texas Press.
Moore, Joan W. 1978. Homeboys: Gangs, drugs, and prison in the barrios of Los
Angeles. Pennsylvania: Temple University Press.
Sánchez, Gorge J. 1993. Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture and Identity in
Chicano Los Angeles: 1900-1945. England: Oxford University Press.
Sanders, William B. 1994. Gang Bangs and Drive-Bys: Grounded Culture and Juvenile
Gang Violence. New York: Aldine De Gruyter.
Shakur, Tupac. 1996. To Live and Die in L.A.
Williams, Stanley Tookie. 2004. Blue Rage, Black Redemption: A Memoir. New York:
TouchStone.

2 comments:

  1. I actually had no idea deviant sub-cultures existed in the 1940s (Zoot suit boys). All post WWII movies/documentaries/films I've watched have depicted the era as a perfectly homogenous and conforming time. Wouldn't you say that this sheds light on the media's suppression of certain historical facets of certain eras?

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  2. Lots of information about subcultures indeed, learned a lot about fashion and the gangster suits for men inspired me much.

    ReplyDelete