Target issues nationwide alert to recall white power clothing ("eight eight" and "88")

Associated Press / SFGate

[RCW2001]

Target issues nationwide alert to recall white power clothing

Wednesday, August 28, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/08/28/state1330EDT0096.DTL

(08-28) 10:30 PDT DAVIS, Calif. (AP) --

Clothing with white supremacist symbols at nationwide Target stores was recalled after a Davis resident realized the symbols are a code among neo-Nazis for "Heil Hitler" and brought it to store officials' attention.

Target Stores of Minneapolis issued a call Tuesday to all 1,100 stores nationwide to stop selling the clothing printed with "eight eight" and "88," which stands for "Heil Hitler" because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

Joseph Rodriguez, a video producer for the University of California, Davis, was shocked when he found the printed symbols on a pair of red shorts at the Elk Grove Target store in June. He had learned the meaning of the white power code from a documentary on racist rock music. The symbols are commonly used among supremacists in graffiti and is a popular tattoo.

Rodriguez bought the shorts and took them to the store manager. But after being told the store just sells what is shipped, he took his complaint to Target's corporate office, where he said he was "blown off."

Then Rodriguez went to the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., which campaigns against racism, tracks racist organizations and runs an educational Web site, www.tolerance.org.

Target officials said they first learned what the symbols meant on Monday when Rodriguez's complaints were put on the center's Web site.

"Nobody knew what it meant," said Carolyn Brookter, director of corporate communications for Target. "We certainly apologize that this was out there. We would not have any white supremacist symbols out selling as merchandise."

Brookter said along with removing the clothing from the stores, Target will conduct a campaign to teach store buyers and advertisers about such symbols. They will also look into how the offending type came to be used on the merchandise.

©2002 Associated Press  

[Conservative til I die]

It wasn't left up to some hyper-sensitive professional victim. Target made the decision to pull the shirts. You do believe in free will right?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

condemned the 88 people, including two minors, to death by hanging or crucifixion.

Some things never change.

[Melas]

This is just unbelievably stupid. I find few things as ugly as racism, but this is as looney as it gets. 88 is a code now? I suppose 11 is out, that's K for Klansman. 14 is N, obviously a racial slur. 7 is out, it's code for gay. 3 is obviosly misogynist. Hmmm, 4 must be code for Democrat..........

[Godel]

T-shirts with numbers on them are banned.

Meanwhile the Malcolm X / Black Power t-shirts are still being sold.

I really don't understand why white people put up with such blatant racism against them. Are they that brainwashed by the media? I mean seriously, you have black congressman appearing at black rallies where the word cracker is tossed around, elected black officials say they want to slap the first white they see, and shouts of "Black Power" echo through the mall.

Watch out what you create world. My generation is getting angry.

[dakine]

hahahaha...your post is #88!......Now, all I need is Tony Gonzales to get his #88 a$$ on the field....

[Conservative til I die]

Eh? So you're response to someone who is trying to enact PC laws or pressure companies in a PC ways is assault? And you believe that such action is true provocation of you? So if I don't like Andrew Cuomo's political ads should I be able to shoot him?

[Dead Corpse]

Yep. They pulled them without so much as a twitch. Under threat of lawsuit.

You know that whole force, theft, fraud thing the LP'ers keep harping about? SPLC's actions here constitute fraud and malicious slander in this context.

Do you honestly think that if I start threatening lawsuits over Malcome X T-shirts that those products would get pulled? I'd get called a racist, bigot, and every other epiphet the PC whores could come up with.

This is every bit as much a "PC" issue, a "double standard" issue, and a "frivolous lawsuit" issue. Not just the compounded stupidity of some California liberal seeing a couple of numbers stiched on to a pair of short and commenced running around screaming "NAZI"!

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

A cross is just a couple of lines intersecting each other at right angles, but on a Church we know that it signifies Christianity and Christ.

Just to see if you are consistent about this, do you also support banning the number '666'? Should JohnRob have to modify FR's software so that no posts have the numbers '666' and '88'?

[First_Salute]

Now numbers are not politically correct.

Ban 76, because of its connection to old, dead white guy slave-owners.

Ban 33 because that's the year that Hitler's NAZIs took over Germany.

Ban 3, from public buildings, to enforce separation of church and state.

Ban all calibres, 22, 32, 38, 40, 45, and 50.

New math.

Swell.

[Spruce]

I cannot believe that Target, being a Minnesota corporation, doesn't just tell everyone that HH stands for Hubert Humphrey by golly.

[lds23]

[Axenolith]

And these...

[11Bush]

Too expensive for my budget would be my only complaint.

[Dead Corpse]

Eh? So you're response to someone who is trying to enact PC laws or pressure companies in a PC ways is assault?

You don't actually expect me to dignify that remark with a direct response do you?

And you believe that such action is true provocation of you?

"We the People,". Direct smack to the Constitution. Looking at it as a double wammy, one for free-speech, and the other against the free-market. If you can't see that, then no amount of instruction would ever educate you.

[Glutton]

Then this must be the real peoples car, aye?

[FreeTally]

Yep. They pulled them without so much as a twitch. Under threat of lawsuit.

I'm actually really curious as to what legal basis a suit would be filed upon.

The other question is what did "88" mean in the eyes of the Target marketing/creative team.

[Melas]

Mea culpa. I hate to eat words, but I have to take back my last post. After ridiculing the whole thing here, I called the tattoo shop where I had my last tattoo done and asked. The owner was amused that I didn't know, and told me that yes, 88 is a very popular tattoo with skinheads, and yes it does have a white power meaning to them.

[gunnedah]

Well,Well. I feel sorry for Dale Jarrett who drives Ford
#88 in NASCAR Racing.I guess he will have to change his number.Oldsmobile should be required also to look for all those old cars they sold in the 1950s and recall them,they were called Rocket 88s.I guess we must take the number 88 out of our numerical sytem also. This sure is fun.Lets get all the 666s while we are at it because of the mark of the beast.

[Dead Corpse]

Do the perennial "They" ever seem to have a reason thought out and well based in fact? All personal responsibility was thrown out the window with a $2 million cup of coffee. "Big Business" is the best target for spurious lawsuits. Even if they could win it in the long run, applying the "formula" and settling out of court is most times cheaper than drawing things out. "Appearance of impropriety" kinda stuff.

I have not seen the products in question. I doubt highly that anyone else here has either, although I'm sure there are a few who have nothing better to do than to run out to a Target store for some instructive window shopping. With the recent trend of re-hashing 70's and 80's clothing styles and music, it very well could have meant 1988 for all we know. Sports related items could have refered to any of a number of sports figures whose jersey sports "88".

[Peace4EarthNow]

Hmm...I guess that means our very own U.S. Navy must support white supremacy: