SANTA CRUZ — Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination was still an open wound for black Americans in 1969, a year punctuated by race riots and black student protests.

So when the downtown Santa Cruz Gap installed a window display for its 1969 black denim jeans, showing black jeans hanging from stylized nooses, it caught the attention of passersby.

Santa Cruz resident Kelly Zhu paused to consider the hanging rack, sandwiched between two male mannequins and next to a photo of African-American actor Michael Williams from “The Wire.” Inside the store, a 5-foot wide “1969” sign was spotlighted on one wall.

“The ropes itself does look like lynching and that’s not OK,” said Zhu, who added that the date reminds people of the civil rights movement.

The shock value is likely intentional, according to Anthony Pratkanis, UC Santa Cruz psychology professor known for his research on subliminal messaging and advertising campaigns. Advertisements that appear to be social statements appeal to young people, he said.

“These kinds of edgy ads often work to establish a brand image,” Pratkanis said.

Santa Cruz resident Rachel Arias said she was shocked when she saw the display Saturday. She went inside and talked to an employee, she said.

“‘I can’t just walk by this and not say anything. I think it’s pretty offensive,'” said Arias, who said the employee responded. “‘Yeah it’s pretty terrible. There’s nothing I can really do about it. You can take it up with corporate.'”

Since Saturday, Arias said she’s talked to the Santa Cruz store manager, called Gap customer relations and posted on Gap’s Facebook wall, asking for the display to be taken down, but has not received a satisfactory response.

“I did talk to someone in customer relations but it was very clear she was reading a standard apology script, so that was kind of disheartening,” Arias said.

Arias said the Santa Cruz manager told her that the display was a corporate decision, and found at other Gaps too.

Gap corporate communications did not respond to multiple phone calls. The lone response was to an email asking about the subject of query. When the Sentinel responded to that email, Gap did not reply.

The Gap marketing campaign comes public outcry earlier this month about an Urban Outfitters Kent State sweatshirt, decorated with a blood spatter, reminiscent of the 1970 Kent State massacre.

Launched Sept. 2, Gap’s “Dress Normal” campaign urges people to shape their own personal style. Black denim highlights the campaign and in the store, signs read “Black is a color” and “Don’t be afraid of the dark.”

Maia Foreman, an African-American and a former Santa Cruz resident, shopped at the Gap on Monday. The display is in poor taste, but not blatantly offensive, she said.

“Of course anything that has a noose shape is offensive, but it’s done in such a subliminal way, you walk right by it without noticing it,” Foreman said.

Pratkanis thinks the noose shape is no accident. Subliminal means below the threshold of awareness, he said.

“If the noose was not visible, for example, if the noose flashed for a third of a second, then it would be subliminal,” he said. “The noose is there. You can look at the noose all you want. The meaning of the noose is clear.”

“Gap is likely trying to make a jarring statement about racial relations to help with their brand image,” said Pratkanis, “similar to the controversial Benetton ads of the 1980s and 1990s.” One example showed a nude Caucasian and African-American same-sex couple embracing, holding an Asian baby.

Simba Kenyatta, co-founder of the Santa Cruz County Coalition to Overcome Racism, said he was not offended by the display, because the ropes did not have a hangman’s knot.

“I have to pick my battles and this isn’t one of them,” said Kenyatta, who is also vice president of the local NAACP chapter. “But I can see how someone would be offended.”

Kenyatta said he remembers race riots and frustration in 1969, as a 17-year-old in Indianapolis, Indiana. That was the year he joined the Black Panther Party.

Now a 32-year Santa Cruz resident and former Santa Cruz City Council candidate, he said he’s had to teach his son how to talk to police, to avoid trouble.

“I’m from Indiana and I know racism, and this place is rough,” said Kenyatta. “I’ve had to raise a child here, and watch him, a young black male, go through what he goes through.”

Kenyatta said people should see the Gap display, and if offended, take action.

“We’re a community. We’re supposed to take care of each other,” he said. “Go look and be honest about whether they’re offended.” —— (c)2014 the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) Visit the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) at www.santacruzsentinel.com