Police are building a tattoo database and your tattoo may actually be gang related.
Marvel movies are on fire. It seems like every time a Marvel superhero hits the theaters, the movie is a box office smash selling millions upon millions of tickets around the world. With so many movie tickets sold, it’s no surprise you start to see Marvel merchandise everywhere. For example, there are Ant-Man action figures, Guardians of the Galaxy T-shirts, and countless DVD collections. However, there are a select few of Marvel fans that take their love for their favorite superhero to the next level by getting tattoos of Marvel characters. And that may not be a good idea.
According to a new report by Slate, police officers are collecting a database on tattoos typically worn by convicted felons and apparently, Thor’s hammer is associated with the white supremacist gangs in prison.
The hammer of Thor, or Mjölnir, is an ancient Norse symbol that has been appropriated by white supremacists since at least World War II. Hans Schweitzer, an artist who produced posters for the Nazi Party, even signed his posters Mjölnir. Despite this, the symbol is also used by nonracist Norse pagans or Marvel fans who aren’t in-the-know.
If you have a Thor hammer tattoo don’t feel too bad. Because, Scarlett Johansson, who plays the Black Widow character in The Avengers, actually has a sports a Mjölnir tattoo on her wrist disguised as a bracelet tattoo with an “I [heart] NY” charm, which is associated with white supremacy.
Police officers are collecting data on prison tattoos from across the country for GARI, a new application from Purdue University to match and interpret graffiti and tattoos in order to track gang movement and growth. So, if you’re planning to get a Ant-Man tattoo, you may want to do a little more research because, it may be associated with a secret prison gang.
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