Harlem, New York is nowhere near Sanford Florida, where young Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in 2012 in an incident that shone an unlikely spotlight on hooded sweatshirts and sparked heated debate about the role of attire in crime and stereotyping.* And yet, when controversy over hooded sweatshirts arose in Harlem this year, it revealed that emotions are (understandably) still extremely raw and opinions are strong.
Harlem stores have posted controversial signs banning hoodies. From CBS New York.
In a report from CBS’s New York City affiliate, Weijia Jiang says that three businesses on a single street in Harlem posted signs stating: “Do not enter with Hoodie or mask. If so you are now trespassing.”
The mask portion of the ban isn’t stirring up much controversy. After all, you could understand why a business owner wouldn’t want a customer deliberately obscuring his or her face. The hoodie ban, however, touched a nerve.
“You shouldn’t have to worry about what you wear when you’re shopping for food,” Harlem resident Eric Herring told CBS 2.
One woman reported that she and her newborn daughter were “hassled right out of a Harlem grocery store simply because they were wearing hoodies.”
One man is behind all the signs. His name is Joe Stark, and he’s a resident of Philadelphia. He is launching a security company. Stark says the hoodie ban is intended to protect businesses, not discriminate against customers.
Jiang interviewed Harlem store managers who recall incidents involving crime where the perpetrators were wearing hoodies that obscured their faces from security cameras and made it difficult to positively identify those responsible.
Some customers said that they don’t mind adhering to the restriction (Jiang didn’t address this, but presumably the ban does not apply to hooded sweatshirts worn with the hood down). But for Harlem resident Tyquan Haskins, the ban feels personal. Haskins, who was wearing a hoodie while being interviewed for this story, said: “It makes me feel like they are targeting me. Why are you targeting? I’ve been spending money here for five years, don’t you know me?”
Store owners are very aware of customer concerns regarding the ban, and some have already responded. Jiang reports that some stores had removed the offending signs after only a few days in response to customer outcry.
*Hooded sweatshirts were, obviously, only a very small part of the conversation about the Trayvon Martin case. We only bring it up because it’s relevant to the situation in Harlem.