2023-05-26 17:33:10
Very trendy balaclavas, the “Shiesty”, were banned from public transport in Philadelphia following the murder, on a bus, of a teenager by a person whose face was concealed by this accessory.
The chief of the transport police of this city in the north-eastern United States warned Thursday that entering a bus or a subway with a “Shiesty” will now immediately result in an intervention by its officers.
“You will then have two options: remove it or be escorted out,” added Charles Lawson.
These balaclavas, created for the cold or for skiing, fully cover the face, with the exception of the eyes. They have been popular for a few years with young African Americans and have gained notoriety following being worn by music or sports stars.
The British brand Paul Smith markets a model at 195 dollars.
During the pandemic, some have donned them instead of surgical masks, thinking to protect themselves from COVID.
But the police deplore their use by criminals. A person who killed a teenager Wednesday night with a gun on a city bus “had a hood and a balaclava,” the transportation police chief noted.
There is a “problem, because we see a lot of it when it’s over 25 degrees”, continued Charles Lawson, believing that “apart from during the pandemic, there is no legitimate reason to cover full face in public”.
However, he noted, the main problem remains the massive presence of firearms in this city of 1.6 million inhabitants and “the propensity to use them for minor disputes”.
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