Group Asks Yankees, MLB To Stop Selling Hats With Gang Symbols

N.Y. Group Says Yankees Hat Features Gang Colors And Symbols

The Coalition to Protect Our Children, along with a group of East Harlem parents, is calling on the Yankees and MLB to stop selling New Era hats that add “gang colors and symbols" to some hats, according to David Freedlander of NEWSDAY. The hats include "a crown above the ‘NY’ or with a red or blue bandanna stitched in,” which are "well-known signs for street gangs."  Coalition President Johnny Rivera: “Any 11-year-old could buy one of these and get jumped if they walk in the wrong neighborhood because they don’t know the signs.” The coalition is “calling on area retailers to pull the hats from their shelves, but so far only one” has done so. Neither New Era nor the Yankees would comment, but an MLB spokesperson said the league was “not previously aware of the symbolism of the cap design and, of course, is very concerned about the issue” (NEWSDAY, 8/24).  The hats are not for sale on MLB.com.