Okay, I have a really stupid question, but bear with me please. "Colors." (Los Angeles: neighborhoods)

[misterdammit]

Okay, I know Sac has a lot of gang members, and I've heard that one should not wear red/blue in certain areas. My question is, what if you're a (white) female and you're wearing the color in the context of a professional looking outfit?

I'm only asking because I bought this really cute cropped, bright red cardigan sweater before I moved here and I want to keep wearing it. I generally wear it with nice, work-appropriate blouses and slacks, although I might wear it with blue jeans now and again.

Sorry to ask a really stupid question, but I'm a small town person and have very little experience or knowledge about gangs in general.

[CityGirl72]

This would not matter at all for a business person.

Also if you are worried - then don't wear it near South Sac, otherwise wear whatever you want! What area do you work?

I worked at Senator Ford of Florin Road and I never even thought of stuff like that. (You moved to Greenhaven right?, well stay out of the other yucky side of Florin Road and the Meadowview area)

And jeans aren't Blue, they are just a pair of jeans

PS - I also grew up in Los Angeles and never thought about what I wore either. If you LOOK like a gang memebr and are rolling in the crappy a$$ neighborhoods, then I'd be scared otherwise in you are very very very safe.

[misterdammit]

That's kind of what I figured, but I just thought I'd make sure. Thanks!

I actually don't have a job yet, but I'm looking to work in Social Services (I'm supposed to hear back about a few jobs this week). A couple of them are at women's shelters which (I assume) are probably not located in the nicest areas (I interviewed at the administration offices, so I'm not sure where the shelters are located yet, since a battered women's shelter is, of course, in a conficential location). They could be in Meadowview for all I know, but we'll see.

[ElleBebe]

I remember in high school in the Bay Area, they warned us not to wear "gang" colors (red and blue), and for my freshman year I was completely freaked out about wearing red tshirts/tank tops and jeans. Then I realized that the gang members go all out with the colors (red shirt, red pants, red bandanna, red shoes...), and wearing a red shirt with jeans as a blond, white, upper-middle class teenager, I would not immediately appear to a stranger to be a gang member.

[tande1n5]

You wouldn't, in a professional looking outfit, ever be misunderstood by gang members as rolling with the wrong crowd. It would be clear that you're just someone wearing a red shirt that day.

[jschek]

Yeah, business atire won't get you pegged as a gang member. Plus, there are other signals they use to establish gang-membership such as hand signals or certain accessories. If you're really paranoid, make sure to wear conflicting gang colors and then there's no chance they'll think you're in a gang.

Quite frankly, even if you did wear a red cardigan and were driving through a bad neighborhood, I don't think you would be targeted by the gangs for your clothing colors (not to say they wouldn't target you for other reasons). And even then, unless you're doing something stupid like loitering, dealing drugs, selling stuff, or otherwise "conducting business" on their turf, they will probably leave you alone.

[AB30000]

It might be best to wear a business attire style jacket over the cardigan so that the cardigan does not attract attention.