Gang tats?

[Beth]

I need to know something about gang tats. I cannot say specifically why out of privacy's sake. Anyhoo, I need to know if a tear drop under the eye and names tattooed on the forearm is a sign of being in a gang. My son said that the tear drop is a symbol of how many people a person has killed, but the person with the tat said it was in honor of a buddy.

Anyway, I am beyond worried (not for my safety, but for that tat owner's safety). Any info on the sparse description? I would greatly appreciate it.

[Ymir's blood]

This may be of help.

Tear drop tattoo (http://www.inkedblog.com/archives/2005/09/break_the_tatto.html)

However just because a tattoo traditionally means X doesn't mean that the person 'earned' it.

[Beth]

This may be of help.

Tear drop tattoo (http://www.inkedblog.com/archives/2005/09/break_the_tatto.html)

However just because a tattoo traditionally means X doesn't mean that the person 'earned' it.
Thanks, Ymir! The tattoed person has never even been arrested, but maybe the reason given for the tat was truthful.

[ms_ann_thrope]

The teardrop under the eye has a couple of different meanings (two of which you mentioned; a third is that the person committed a murder while in jail). Doesn't prove gang affiliation, but if he indeed got the tat to honor a buddy, that's supposed to mean that the honoree died violently and/or while the person with the tattoo was in prison. Facial tattoos in general are considered pretty 'out there' and are almost exclusively worn by people who are 'in the life.' I'd take them as a warning sign... possibly just of poor judgment, but depends on the other ones he has. I would be more on the lookout for either three dots or a cross with three or four little 'dashes' around it tattooed on the inside of the wrist or on the web of skin between thumb and forefinger. Those are classic 'mi vida loca' tattoos.

What kind of 'names' are you talking about being tattooed on the guy's arm? If they end in '13' or 'X3' or 'XIII,' that's bad. If they are peoples' names, I wouldn't necessarily worry too much about it. Unless they are names of people who have died; again, that would be sort of gang-y.

Hope that helps!

ETA: pictures

[viscousmemories]

I would be more on the lookout for either three dots or a cross with three or four little 'dashes' around it tattooed on the inside of the wrist or on the web of skin between thumb and forefinger.
My dad had the cross between his thumb and forefinger. He was supposedly the first white guy in the Denver Pachucos back in his day, but he always said they gave him a pass on the murder initiation. Riiiiiight.

[Beth]

I never saw the writing, actually. I was so upset that he did this, that the kids communicated through me. Honestly, I did not notice the teardrop (He tilted his head when I saw him, so that, I assume, I would not outright notice the teardrop) until my kids mentioned it (even then, I thought that it was a joke). Then I was told of the writing on the inner arm. After that, I was on the protective mode, being upset about, not only the fact that he opened himself up to the cops, but that he can no longer claim "nowhere" as his gang affiliation. In this county, it is a huge gang element and meth affiliation. Thanks, Ms. Ann!

[D. Scarlatti]

And those guys with the Ricky Martin tattoos on their backs, they've got "Livin' la Vida Loca" written all over them.