Target Recalls Heil Hitler Clothes

MINNEAPOLIS - Target Corp. said Wednesday that it is recalling baseball caps and shorts from all of its stores after a California customer realized symbols printed on the clothing are a code for ''Heil Hitler.''

The caps and shorts are imprinted with ''eight eight'' and ''88.'' Among white supremacists, that stands for ''Heil Hitler'' because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

The Minneapolis-based chain told all of its 1,100 stores to stop selling the clothing. A customer in Davis, California, alerted Target.

''Target apologizes for any discomfort that may have been caused by the baseball caps and shorts carrying the insignia 88,'' the company said in a statement. ''Target is a family oriented store and company and it is not our intent to carry any merchandise that promotes hate.''

In an interview with The Associated Press, Target officials declined to comment on whether the clothing came from a branded manufacturer or from their own store label line.

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, according to the Sacramento Bee.

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.

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

''As soon as the appropriate people were notified at Target, we immediately moved to have the merchandise pulled from all of our stores,'' Target said in the statement.

This is too weird. Target is way over-reacting as it's just a number, not something obvious meant to offend?

Right. And in any case, Godwin's Law has now been triggered.

Tom Parsons

They were still available at one of our Target Stores last night. Why did they even put it on the shelves?

Sorry, Dennis, but it stands for Heil Hitler. The person who reported them had done video documentaries of supremacist rock bands. It is not over reacting and it is not just a number!

It is for most of us. As mentioned, Lindros & Jarrett use it unchallenged. I have to agree with Kathy that the world today is getting a little too hung up on correctness.

And I doubt very much that these rock bands in the video are the type who shop at Target

My guess is Target didn't do research because they had no reason to think an innocent number would be anything considered vile or offensive.

I applaud Target for pulling the items once it was brought to their attention that it could be used by the white supremacist.

I totally disagree. These kids who listen to that crap live in my valley and probably some are in my neighborhood. I don't live in a sheltered environment and there has been anti-Semitism and neo Nazi groups during the twenty-five years that I have lived in this part of California. The police have a special gang control unit to get rid of crap like this. The Aryan Brotherhood is alive and well in the prisons and it trickles down to kids in the very best of neighborhoods. This has nothing to do with political correctness, but perhaps you have to be Mexican like the man who reported the merchandise or a Jew like me to understand the nature of the problem.

: valley and probably some are in my neighborhood. I don't live in a : sheltered environment and there has been anti-Semitism and neo Nazi : groups during the twenty-five years that I have lived in this part of : California. The police have a special gang control unit to get rid of : crap like this. The Aryan Brotherhood is alive and well in the : prisons and it trickles down to kids in the very best of : neighborhoods. This has nothing to do with political correctness, but : perhaps you have to be Mexican like the man who reported the : merchandise or a Jew like me to understand the nature of the problem. : Audrey

Well said, as usual. It's better to err on the side of caution and kindness. It's easy to shout PC!! when you haven't been a target or been exposed to this type of thing. Sometimes doing right is more important than being right.

And to a musician, The 88s just means a piano. First thing I thought of when I read about the shirts and caps

Undoubtedly they didn't know the meaning... I didn't know it until I read the article yesterday.