Dress Code Singles Out Black Gangs, Official Says

Prodded by a school board debate over a proposed dress code focused on black gangs, Antelope Valley Union High School district officials and sheriff’s deputies said Thursday they will look into whether satanic and white power gangs are also a problem.

During a meeting of the district’s Board of Trustees Wednesday night, board President Larry Rucker charged that the dress policy, as proposed, targets black gang members but ignores other factions that create problems in the district’s six schools.

“We have an inordinate amount of kids who are into satanism,” Rucker said. “Why that wasn’t covered, that escapes me, and that’s a big problem.”

Supt. Kenneth Brummel said Thursday his staff will do additional study on the gang issue and return the dress code for another board discussion in January.

“We will consult with the Sheriff’s Department, and we will consult with the principals,” he said. If satanic and white power gangs are found, he said, “We need to provide language in the dress code proposal that would cover those as well.”

The 10,000-student district for months has been considering a ban on gang-related attire. But the board debate appeared only to have mired board members in more disputes and raised new questions about the scope of the district’s gang problem.

During a more than hourlong debate, Rucker, the lone black member of the board, called the proposed dress code “institutional racism at best.” He complained about alleged satanism among students and said there is evidence of skinhead and white power activity on the campuses.

Rucker called the board policy “a Crip and a Blood thing,” referring to the two major black gangs, and challenged the board to consider other groups. Rucker noted district officials have not talked of outlawing combat boots and fatigues worn by some white gangs.

Fellow board member Sophia Waugh said members of the Crips and Bloods appear to have been involved in most of the region’s gang problems.

The district’s proposed anti-gang dress code does not refer to specific gangs. But district officials, in discussing student clothing to be outlawed, generally referred to the blue and red clothing associated with the two black gangs.

Rucker repeatedly criticized both the district and Sheriff’s Department officials for not producing statistics on the extent of the district’s gang problem.

Capt. Gary Vance, commander of the sheriff’s Antelope Valley station, said Thursday he received a letter from the school district only this week seeking statistics on local gang activity. He said he will provide the data. Vance said deputies have identified about 600 Antelope Valley youths with gang ties, mostly to the Bloods and Crips.

He said there are no well-organized white power groups. “There are people of that persuasion, and they have been attempting to form gangs,” he said.

Vance added, “The kids tell us there are elements of satanism at the high schools, but as far as organized groups, we don’t know of any.”

School board member Steve Landaker said a report from district administrators mentions satanic activity on local campuses. “I’ve also heard about it from my own children and from the Sheriff’s Department and from probation officers,” he said Thursday.

While other trustees said they are still uncertain how stringent a dress code is needed, board member E. Jarold Wright said Thursday he does not believe that is sufficient.

“I think what we’re doing is attempting a Band-Aid approach,” he said. “If I thought for a minute that eliminating headgear would eliminate the gang problem, I’d be all for it. If we want to deal with it, let’s deal with it right--like developing a policy that outlaws gangs” on the campus, he said.