One hairstyle has started to cause chaos as schools and restaurants look to ban “The Edgar” and those who are rocking it.
The bowl-shaped haircut is often worn by Mexican-American young men known as “Edgars,” a report on the hairstyle from the Daily Mail shared.
However, the haircut has started to cause controversy, as many are beginning to associate the hairstyle with a recent wave of crime, while at the same time, others are saying the criticism stems from racism.
The growing distrust for the hairstyle stems from an April shooting at a San Antonio festival that was carried out by an 18-year-old “Edgar” who had just been let out of jail before he and another shot five innocent bystanders, local authorities shared at the time.
The suspect, Mikey Valdez, was eventually shot and killed alongside his accomplice by police, who responded to the shooting.
After the shooting, Ricky Ortiz, who owns several restaurants in the area, posted about a “no Edgars” sign suggesting those with the haircut not be allowed in establishments like the ones he owns and the event where Valdez opened fire.
He wrote that the organizers of the event needed to have a “no Edgar policy” and that they should charge more so that it was “unaffordable for them to even attend,” the Daily Mail reported.
Not everyone has agreed with Ortiz’s comments, as the San Antonio Current reported that several people online felt the remarks were a “new form of racism.”
Ortiz explained himself to the Current, saying the claims he was racist were unfounded.
“People accusing me of racism are speaking from a place of ignorance,” the first-generation American of Mexican parents said.
Ortiz is just the latest to point this issue out, as students at a high school in El Paso led an effort to get the haircut banned in 2021.
While some argue it is just a hairstyle, Ortiz says they are not looking at the bigger issue, which is even more dangerous for young people.
“They don’t want to acknowledge or admit that the majority of the kids that are getting these haircuts want to be in a culture influenced by gang affiliation and things like that,” Ortiz said.