The news out of Albany about the 13-year-old student who was suspended, then reinstated, for wearing rosary beads to school, reminds us of a story we ran about the trend in 2008.
Like the Albany case, which has been taken up by Pat Roberton’s American Center for Law & Justice, school administrators sought to bar students from wearing the Catholic prayer aids, believing they token gang membership.
“It’s become part of the look,” said Victor Castro, a detective and school resource officer who leads gang awareness training in Hillsboro, Ore. “They use it as a reminder of protection.”
According to the AP, school districts in New York and Texas have also punished students for wearing rosaries.
I’d be interested in hearing more about how rosary bead became gang symbols, and what they are supposed to symbolize if anyone has any theories.