Gangs use color as social signifier

"Fashion has always been something of a uniform. Goths, hippies, preppies, Madison Avenue ladies who lunch: each group has its look." -NYT

Continuing my investigation into gang color schemes, we have yet another group. The Latin Kings are a street gang, claiming chapters across the country. Their identifiers are black and gold or yellow, like a poisonous animal warning off predators. According to one source, black represents death, gold represents life. A NYT article looks into why members chose to draw attention to themselves in such an obvious fashion. Their gang colors certainly don't help them stay under the cop's radar.
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The Latin Kings themselves say that wearing the colors is a matter of cultural pride and identity. Leaders of the gang claim major clothing companies have capitalized on the allure of gang colors to market their products.

HBO documentary

Others disagree; they don't think the colors are a matter of pride. “Most of them come from nothing: poor homes, crack-infested neighborhoods. They are looking for some kind of identity.” Showing gang colors can also been seen as an organizational tool, a control mechanism.


It certainly send out a warning signal to others, that's for sure.