Ski masks are undergoing a rebrand, and criminals couldn’t be happier.
The balaclava-style shiesty, first popularized by rappers, has gained social acceptance partly because of COVID-19 pandemic standards.
Political and civic leaders see the provocative masks as public safety hazards that embolden petty thieves and armed muggers.
“Too many crimes are being committed by individuals who are taking advantage by wearing a full-face ski mask to hide their identity,” Tio Hardiman, executive director of the national peacemaking organization Violence Interrupters in Chicago, told The Washington Times. “It’s something like out of a horror movie for people because carjackers and robbers are terrorizing entire communities.”
Masked assailants have been wreaking havoc across the country.
Dozens of looters concealed their faces in Philadelphia last month as they ransacked a Footlocker, a Lululemon and other establishments.
Police arrested more than 70 people in connection with the chaotic raids.
Three masked carjackers targeted Rep. Henry Cuellar at gunpoint in the District last week. The Texas Democrat was unharmed and his car was recovered quickly, but all three carjackers, thought to be teenage boys, remain at large.
A cyclist wearing a ski mask rode up to an 80-year-old man in New York City on Sept. 17 and killed him with a point-blank gunshot to the head in front of his wife. Police said they have yet to make an arrest in the slaying.
The masks encourage criminals to act more brazenly, Mr. Hardiman said, and they won’t be stopped until politicians “get some backbone” and ban the clothing item.
One local politician in Philadelphia is trying to do just that.
Council member Anthony Phillips, who represents the city’s northern 9th District, proposed legislation to bar ski masks and other full-face coverings in schools, day care centers, recreation centers, public transit, city-owned parks and buildings, and other public places.
The proposed punishment is a $250 fine for wearing a facial covering in a prohibited area and a $2,000 fine for wearing a mask while committing a crime.
Ten of Mr. Phillips’ council colleagues have co-sponsored the legislation, giving it a strong chance to pass this fall.
The council member told The Times he is confident the ban would bring down crime because it would intensify the social stigma of wearing the masks.
Mom-and-pop stores in the city already forbid masked customers from entering their businesses, Mr. Phillips said. Philadelphia’s SEPTA transit system implemented a ban in June after a masked shooter killed a 15-year-old on a bus.
“What this piece of legislation does is it signals to the families across the city of Philadelphia … that we are taking a proactive step to enforcing the idea that people cannot walk into public spaces that are city-owned with a mask,” Mr. Phillips said.
Concerns have been raised about criminalizing Black teens and young men who are simply following a fashion trend.
Kristin Henning, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, told WHYY-FM in Philadelphia that a crackdown on ski masks would single out youths for “normal adolescent fads and trends.”
The international ski mask craze does have criminal roots.
The “shiesty” nickname is taken from rapper Pooh Shiesty, who helped popularize the accessory with the music video for his biggest hit, “Back in Blood,” nearly three years ago. Pooh Shiesty is serving time in federal prison for his involvement in a Florida robbery.
Wearing a shiesty has become synonymous with the subgenre of drill rap, which takes cues from the antagonistic gangsta rap genre. The masks are thought to prevent prosecutors from using drill rappers’ identities against them.
Aisha Braveboy, state’s attorney for Prince George’s County, Maryland, said in July that these rap songs go beyond creative expression and can describe actual crimes.
She was at a court hearing about the killings of two rappers in a June shootout. Baby K, the 15-year-old accused of trying to kill a boy on a county school bus in May, was active on the drill rap scene.
Donning ski masks in the Washington area predates the hype around the aggressive rap genre.
Drince, 23, who shoots music videos for local artists, said the masks have been part of the regional culture his entire life.
It started with rappers wearing rolled-up masks atop their heads and trickled down into street fashion. Drince said that changed with the onset of COVID-19, when public health authorities ordered people to cover their faces to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
That gave people an excuse to pull down the masks and indulge in deviant behaviors that drill rappers often celebrate.
“They shouldn’t have done that for COVID,” Drince told The Times. “I remember they would let people wear bandanas around their face. That can also sometimes represent gang activity.”
The masks are catching on with people who have had no contact with the law, particularly children.
Youssef Abdelwahad, a Philadelphia teacher who sells the masks under his AragApparel brand, said boys of all backgrounds gravitate toward the shiesty.
Designer brands such as Prada make versions, and athletes such as Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young wear shiestys in public.
Mr. Abdelwahad uses his wares to promote positive messages.
One of his offerings, the Ink Shiesty, is inspired by a search for knowledge as Muhammad advocated in the Quran. The Sahara Shiesty pays homage to the massive African desert that shaped the continent.
Mr. Abdelwahad makes his masks in the patterns seen on keffiyehs, or headscarves, that men in Arab countries typically wear. The patterns give his shiestys unique appeal to those who may not relate to the crime-ridden lifestyles of drill rappers.
“The super nerdy Pakistani kid — like very wealthy or affluent kids that I see at these Islamic conventions — they want one so bad, even though they’re the last people to commit crime,” Mr. Abdelwahad told The Times. “There’s just something about it that’s enticing to wear.”
Some youths say they don’t wear ski masks to live criminal lives but to protect themselves from becoming victims.
One girl told Philadelphia’s local ABC affiliate WPVI-TV that teens wear masks so thugs can’t identify them on the street.
Mr. Hardiman, the anti-violence activist in Chicago, said he likens that justification to carrying a gun to fend off would-be assailants. He said that is an excuse to partake in criminal behavior.
Mr. Phillips, on the Philadelphia City Council, said the masks give Black America a bad name.
“The mask is a part of criminal culture; it’s not a part of Black culture,” he said. “Unfortunately, some of our young Black men and women — who are decent individuals — have been confused with what’s actually Black culture versus criminal culture.”
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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