[Fiji Hill]

"Beads are often identifiers for gangs," says Karen Corona, who handles communications for the Schenectady City School District.

With an AB degree in journalism from SUNY Plattsburgh, Karen Corona would seem to be well-educated. Does she now know what a rosary is?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Mine at #18.

[bencarter]

Gangs appropriate rosary beads to use as signs, like they used to with bandanas. In these cases, it has nothing to do with religion, but instead a subtle way of telling with whom you are aligned. Some kids then think this is cool and wear them as “look at me, I'm a tough guy” kind of thing. This is not an attack on Catholics. If you are going to be mad at anyone, be mad at the gangs for taking a symbol of your faith and turning it into a code for evil.