Da UK On-line Urban Magazine

Young men risk being arrested for wearing colours that are associated with gangs under new laws passed by the government.

  Under the new laws, people are prohibited from wearing gang associated colours in areas that suffer from gang activity. The government claim that the law will only affect gang members but how are police expected to distinguish a normal member of the public who happens to be wearing green or red clothing from an actual gang member.

  Campaign group, Liberty attacked the government’s latest solution to resolve Britain’s gang culture, they said: “Gangbo’s are yet another gimmick for punishing people without a fair trial. They will sweep up the innocent more than the guilty and quickly become divisive amongst racial lines.”

  Many people fear that ethnic minorities will become targets for police harassment under this new law that allows officers to easily slip around the barriers that were put in place to deflect police attention away from ethnic minorities after the eruption of the stop and search crisis last year. How far will the physical appearance and colour of a person breaching the colour ban be taken into account when determining whether or not they belong to a gang? Clearly the stereotypical picture of a gang member that’s been created by western media will also be used as a measuring tool by police to assess whether or not a person has any gangland connections. This creates a high risk of getting arrested for many black and asian youths living in the inner city.

  Banning gang members from wearing a particular colour is not going to tackle Britain’s gang issues. Clearly these kinds of bills have been passed and proposed by people who have no knowledge of or have never experienced gang activity in this society. Asking MP’s for solutions to crack down on Britain’s gang culture is like asking Frank Gallagher how to solve the country's current economic crisis.

  Sanctions for those who are convicted of breaching the colour ban are; a curfew order, having to wear a tag, an anger management course and for repeat offenders a custodial sentence.