Bloodshed in El Salvador reaching levels of 1980s civil war
Jun 22, 12:02 AM EDT
Bloodshed in El Salvador reaching levels of 1980s civil war
By ALBERTO ARCE
Associated Press
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) -- Word on the street is that only the girlfriends of gang members are allowed to be redheads or blondes. So in this violent place, women are scurrying to salons to give up their blond hair and highlights, to dye it all black - not out of fashion sense, but out of fear.
"They also say you can't wear yellow or red clothing," said Claudia Castellanos, a beautician at an upscale salon. "Can you believe it? They've already attacked a woman on a bus for wearing yellow."
There's no evidence the rumors are true. The gangs, sophisticated criminal organizations, even issued a statement to deny the hair-color decree.
But with violence in El Salvador reaching levels rivaling those of the civil war that ended more than two decades ago, few are willing to take risks.
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