Gang members are decked out in clothing that communicates a message and a troubling trend. It’s a brutal reality on the streets of the city of violent gangs living a lifestyle with a sense of style all their own.

“Different clothing, different shoes, different shoe strings,” expert Reginald Gordan said.

A form of dress we noticed in areas commonly considered to be hotbeds of gang activity.  An ex-gang member who once served time behind bars told 11 News where the so-called “gang gear” is coming from.

“These merchants know what they’re doing, and they’re going to make their money whether it’s killing our kids or not,” Gordon said.

Profiting off of pain: That’s how a number of local activists describe it, and they steered us to King’s Best Market, in southeast Houston, a place with merchants they call the prime offenders.

“It’s all about a fast buck with them,” community activist Quannel X said. “They don’t care about the community.”

11 News went into King’s Best Market looking for a bandanna and was immediately asked which kind we wanted: red or blue. On the streets, blue bandannas are normally associated with a gang called the Crips, and the red, with the Bloods.

T-shirts for purchase were laced with disturbing messages. Some of them required little if any explanation, but some required some interpreted some of the others.

“You’ve got a red bandanna standing for the bloods,” Quannel X said. “This says Texas school of street smarts. … What you have at the bottom is young black men hanging from trees.

“They are profiting off this madness,” he said.

All of the products came from a store called Soul Fashion.

“I don’t know which one is bad message, which one is not,” the owner said. “Just factory buy, and we sell.”

It’s the American way, and there’s nothing illegal about it. But is it right?

“Do they not see what’s going on in their neighborhood?” Gordan said. “Do they not feel the pain of mothers who can’t sit on their porch anymore?”

Victor Gonzalez is the director of program services for the mayor’s anti-gang office.

“Sometimes the almighty dollar takes over, and people just want to make a buck without thinking about the ramifications it has for the community,” Gonzalez said.

That is why he’s backing a plan to hold informational seminars for merchants about “gang gear,” though he’s convinced young gang members can always find what they need.

“They’re gonna get it,” Gonzalez said. “For the gang to look good, you got to have your gear.”

And for many, no price is too high to pay.