UK sportswear giants-JD Sports along with global sportswear brand Puma are being accused of glorifying UK gang culture. Last week they joined forces to host a ‘drug dealing themed’ house party. House of Hustle: #runthestreets was held in a four-storey building designed with a ‘rundown’ vibe of graffiti, boarded windows, and mattresses. It was designed to be a haven for ‘hustlers’: musicians, tattoo artists and more, all lapping up the aesthetics. Extra gimmicks for the event allegedly included shoe boxes full of fake £50 notes and ‘trap phones’, pre-loaded with the message “Yo G what u sayin today? Pass tru the House of Hustle”.
- The UK has one of the world’s highest rates of emergency hospitalisation due to recreational drug use.
- 11.7% of black adults used drugs in 2016-17, the highest of any ethnic group in the UK.
- Almost half of all young people convicted of dealing in London are black, often mixed in with gang-related crime.
- 56 deaths in 4 months have now been reported, in London’s recent wave of killings.
- Black youth from deprived neighbourhoods are the primary victims of gang violence.
With these statistics as the backdrop, the cringe-factor alone should have destroyed the idea for the insensitive party theme. ‘House of Hustle’ came across as a glamorisation of drugs and taken a step too far! In London’s current climate the event presents itself as a slap-in-the-face of all who struggle within the culture. Being held in a ‘trap house’ in Soho, which, with an average house price of £1.3-1.5m is one of London’s most affluent areas, full of middle-class white millennials rather than gang culture affiliates. Its residents are significantly less likely to be searched or prosecuted for drug possession and the whole theme reeked of cultural appropriation. On the night in question, six teenagers were stabbed in London’s continued violence, yet the invitees of Puma x JD’s elite party got to enjoy ‘gang culture’ in a safe, ego-stroking environment.
“It’s time for us to realise that these are no longer accidents, and make corporations realise that they can no longer capitalise on humiliation.
The first quarter of 2018 has shown us yet another example of a distasteful marketing campaign that should have been shut down in its creation stage. It’s definitely time for us to realise that these are far from harmless, fun ideas and make corporations aware that they can no longer capitalise off of humiliation, pain and suffering.
