Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Anti-Gang Group Asks Store to Drop T-Shirt : Santa Clarita: The task force says the clothing legitimizes illegal activity. A store official says he was unaware of any complaints.

A city-run task force fears that mixed in with the baggy clothes, bright colors and multicolored sunglasses of a trendy store in the Valencia Town Center is a call for violence and a celebration of gang activity.

Santa Clarita’s Anti-Gang Task Force is calling for the Hot Topic store to stop selling shirts illustrated with a man standing in front of a black ball with “25!” on it and connected to his leg by a chain. On the back is a broken shackle with the phrase “25 to Life” inscribed on it.

The phrase refers to the California penalty for murder, and--together with other merchandise showing animated characters wearing baggy clothing--inappropriately legitimizes gang activity, said Sgt. Carl Deeley, a member of the task force and the Sheriff’s Department unit assigned to Santa Clarita gang and graffiti problems.

Orv Madden, chief executive officer of the Hot Topic chain that includes 18 stores on the West Coast, said it was the first that he had heard of either the task force’s concerns or the negative interpretation of the shirt.

“We condemn any type of gang violence. We work very, very hard to not carry that stuff,” Madden said. “To our knowledge, we are not carrying anything gang-related. If they have concerns, we’d like to hear about them.”

Madden said Hot Topic would absolutely pull merchandise discovered to carry a double meaning.

Cecilia Burda, chairwoman of the Santa Clarita Anti-Gang Task Force, said she is writing to Hot Topic’s corporate offices this week to ask the firm to do just that: Stop selling the shirts.

“The city has taken a very strong position on graffiti and gangs and we have zero tolerance for them,” said Gail Foy, spokeswoman for the city. “We believe there is a responsibility with being a business here. This crosses the line--there’s no dispute about it.”

Burda and other members of the task force decided to write to the company’s corporate offices after meeting Monday.

“A number of people in attendance were incensed by some of the clothing they were selling,” said Assistant City Manager Ken Pulskamp, a member of the task force.

Pulskamp said he does not believe that Santa Clarita is trying to control what one of its merchants can sell.

“What they’re doing isn’t illegal. They can sell anything they want,” said Pulskamp. “The problem is you get kids who wear it because they think, ‘Hey, it’s a neat fashion,’ and they get into trouble with real gang members.”

The sheriff’s anti-gang unit draws comparisons between the “25 to Life” clothing and the controversial “187 Hudda” shirts done in a similar style that appeared earlier this year. Hudda is a slang term for police, while 187 is the police code for murder.

Hot Topic officials are aware of that shirt and they do not sell it.

“We absolutely do not carry that shirt. We would never allow it in our store,” Madden said vehemently.

Hot Topic, based in Montclair, caters mainly to teen-agers. Current merchandise in the Valencia Town Center store bears images of music groups, from current favorites like Alice in Chains, Spin Doctors and Porno for Pyros to traditional bands such as the Beatles.

Trays are filled with a rainbow selection of sunglasses, and earrings of all shapes and sizes sit in display cases. For the heavy-metal aficionados, there are Iron Maiden posters and leather clothing. MTV’s newest social commentators--Beavis and Butthead--can be seen peering back from several shirts.

Beyond the “25!” shirt, Santa Clarita’s Anti-Gang Task Force is worried about images such as cartoon characters in baggy clothing, carried not only by Hot Topic but also by other shops.

“They’re making the gang activities they represent legitimate by wearing these clothes,” Deeley said.

It is not the first time that city officials have asked a business to stop what they consider to be indirect support of gang activity. Several months ago, Santa Clarita successfully requested a local newsstand to stop carrying publications that included advertisements for tagging paraphernalia.