Charleston considers ordinance on sagging pants

[ShadowBoxing]

City Council considers fashion statment
Complaints from a constituent have some Charleston city council officials thinking about whether the city should ban people wearing saggy pants and, in the process, showing off their skivvies.


It’s a decree other cities — from Atlanta to tiny Delcambre, La. — have already handed down, and other city councils across the country are debating how low you can go when it comes to wearing pants.


Charleston councilman Mike Clowser just this week forwarded an e-mail he got from one resident, Dan Duncan, to other council members.


The 57-year-old Duncan said such low-rise pants, popular with people around the city are “repugnant,” and he’s pushing for the city to consider a ban similar to that of other cities.


“I see people’s pants below hips and underwear hanging out — it’s ugly and sickening,” Duncan said. “I find it offensive to people of character.”


Duncan is the owner of Mason & Barry, Inc., a St. Albans-based building automation sales firm.


Duncan wants city council to establish an ordinance that would fine people unspecified amounts of money for wearing saggy pants in public.


“There should be some punishment or at least community service,” Duncan said. “These people have to realize they need to clean things up and appreciate what lives they have.”


Bans on saggy pants in some other cities apply to both genders, including women whose low-slung jeans and trousers expose their underwear and men whose pants often rise no further than mid-thigh, leaving several inches of boxers hanging out.


But some opponents of such bans have said they unfairly target one group of people, as the low-rise styles frequently are popular among young, black males.


Some council members in Charleston said the city has bigger issues to deal with, and others said even if they wanted to, regulating boxer-, brief- or bikini-bearing bottoms would be difficult.


“I’ve been accused of having plumber’s crack before, and I certainly don’t want to go to jail for it,” Councilman Marc Weintraub said.


In one small Louisiana town, wearing baggy pants and exposing your underwear carries of fine $500 or six months in jail.


Other towns in that state have also passed similar ordinances.


And now, city councils in Trenton, NJ, and Atlanta are discussing issuing fines and community service work to people found exposing their underwear because their pants are too big.


Councilman John Miller said those cities should focus on more important issues.


“I’m sure Trenton and Atlanta and Louisiana have more important and pressing problems in their respective cities than worrying about baggy pants,” Miller said. “If that is their biggest problems — they are in excellent shape.”


Miller added that saggy pants are a “cultural thing” and a fad he thinks will eventually go away. He said it’s the parents who should be telling kids what to wear and not the city.


“Parental involvement is lacking, so is pride and respect,” Miller said.


“However I would rather see these kids wearing baggy clothes than carrying a gun and shooting people.”


Councilman Harry Deitzler said he doesn’t see a way the city can impose such a dress code.


“Personally I think it reflects poorly on the person whose drawers are showing,” Deitzler said. “But there are some things we can regulate and some things we can’t. I think this falls in the ‘can’t’ category.”


Outside the Charleston Town Center mall on Tuesday, some people who wear baggy pants said city officials shouldn’t have a say in what they can wear.


“It’s the fashion,” said resident Mike Evans. “People should be allowed to wear want they want to wear. It’s their right.”


Evans, 19, said he has been wearing saggy clothes since he was kid. Although he has a 38-inch waist, Evans buys 40-inch waist pants to capture the look.


Charleston resident Gerod Lee said he feels the police unfairly target people that wear baggy clothing. He said police immediately think a person is involved with crime just because of your clothes.


“They think just because you’re wearing baggy pants, then you’re hiding something like a gun,” Lee said. “But they can’t do anything about it. They have no probable cause to search us for what we wear.”


The 16-year-old said he has a 32-inch waist, but wears 36-inch pants. He also wears 6X t-shirts, even though he has a medium build.


He said no matter what happens, city laws will not affect the way he dresses.


“I wear my clothes big, because that’s just my style that I wear,” Lee said. “That’s the style I like and the style I look good in.”

 

[DDS]

I think this trend's ******ed, so they can go ahead and ban it for all I care.

And that pic made me lol.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Part of me says "That's unconstitutional, the local government has no business telling people what to wear" and then the other part of me says "Goddamnit that trend is so goddamn ******ed, I wouldn't bat an eyelash if I never had to see that again".

 

[DDS]

True. Usually, I think government shouldn't punish people for something like fashion-choice because, really, it doesn't harm anyone else. Its just that the sagging-jeans are so...stupid...

 

[Drakon]

Thank ****ing god. If I see one more thug's nasty ass boxers, I swear to god I'm gonna drive a goddamn BUICK up there.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Baggey pants=stupidity.

 

[Drakon]

SAGGY, Numbah Twelve. SAGGY. Not BAGGY. There's a world of difference.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

SAGGY, Numbah Twelve. SAGGY. Not BAGGY. There's a world of difference.

Really? I always thought they were the same.

 

[Drakon]

Saggy is like the picture above. Nobody wants to see your ass, duder.

Baggy fit around the waist, but are bigger than you need them to be. My Google-Fu is kinda weak at the moment, so the only example I can think to list is Jeff Hardy, of WWE fame. That's baggy pants.

 

[Addendum]

Saggy is like the picture above. Nobody wants to see your ass, duder.

True, but I'm reminded of a scene from Persepolis where Marjane is running to catch the bus and the guards tell her to stop running because doing so was causing her butt to move in a way that was making them uncomfortable. She responded to them by yelling "Then quit staring at my ass!"

 

[The Apatow Crew]

I was at Walmart last week and this kid or guy whatever he was. I was walking and in comes the person and it looked like his pants were almost about his ankles and he had a belt on and looked like it did nothing.

I mean no one wants to see someones ass.

 

[jaguarr]

Yay, big government!

jag

 

[Warhammer]

Even though I hate saggy pants, it is still a fashion trend. If government is going to ban saggy pants, then they also need to ban dudes wearing tight girl pants and eyeliner, too. Say whatever you want, but seeing somebody wearing saggy pants is not killing you. Simply think what you want, and move on to worrying about things that actually affect your life.

Remember that this is still America. We have all of these freedoms. Once we start the habit of picking and choosing which freedoms to ban, before we know it, we won't have anymore. The bottom line is this is a fashion trend. Trends come and go with time, and saggy pants will do the same.

 

[Manic]

The government can't go around banning fashion trends just because they don't like the way they look. Long hair on dudes was considered an indecent fashion trend at one time, but can you imagine if the government had actually banned that? What about skirts that are higher than 3 inches below the knee? Open-toed shoes? Spikey hair? Mohawks? Guys wearing earrings? Girls wearing pants?

Yeah, that crap's all normal and tame today, but back in their heydays, they were akin to sagging jeans or emo haircuts. Nobody liked them, and people tried to ban them.

Yes, we all know that saggy pants look ridiculous. Yes, the fact that some guys have the audacity to to wear belts around their ankles is even more ludicrous. But are we really sitting here and discussing the possibility of making oversized clothing against the law?

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

I was at Walmart last week and this kid or guy whatever he was. I was walking and in comes the person and it looked like his pants were almost about his ankles and he had a belt on and looked like it did nothing.

I mean no one wants to see someones ass.

Yeah, I absoloutely hate that style.

 

[The Guard]

Don't "people of character" get offended by almost everything?

It's a free country, though.

Charleston resident Gerod Lee said he feels the police unfairly target people that wear baggy clothing. He said police immediately think a person is involved with crime just because of your clothes.

Maybe people who don't want to be associated with crime should stop dressing like a large percentage of criminals do. Just a thought.

 

[jaguarr]

The government can't go around banning fashion trends just because they don't like the way they look. Long hair on dudes was considered an indecent fashion trend at one time, but can you imagine if the government had actually banned that? What about skirts that are higher than 3 inches below the knee? Open-toed shoes? Spikey hair? Mohawks? Guys wearing earrings? Girls wearing pants?

Yeah, that crap's all normal and tame today, but back in their heydays, they were akin to sagging jeans or emo haircuts. Nobody liked them, and people tried to ban them.

Yes, we all know that saggy pants look ridiculous. Yes, the fact that some guys have the audacity to to wear belts around their ankles is even more ludicrous. But are we really sitting here and discussing the possibility of making oversized clothing against the law?

Next thing you know, they'll be outlawing music, dancing and Kevin Bacon.

jag

 

[Manic]

Next thing you know, they'll be outlawing music, dancing and Kevin Bacon.

jag

It pisses me off so much, I could-- I could just--!!!

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Next thing you know, they'll be outlawing music, dancing and Kevin Bacon.

jag

Nevar!!

 

[Drakon]

I wish they'd outlaw Kevin Bacon.

 

[Warhammer]

People are just seriously freaking out. Let people bring negative attention upon themselves. Let people look like idiots. Worry about your damn self.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

The government can't go around banning...

Well, don't group "the Government" together here like it's one big entity. No one is seeking a constitutional amendment, just certain cities making certain ordinances, which depending on the circumstances is perfectly legal. Also, being local level, they can always appeal these charges at a higher level as being unconstitutional, like the county, state, and federal. Townships, though, have always been able to hold some pretty weird rules depending on where you live. For example, downtown here you can't have a visible boat in your driveway or on your lawn without receiving a fine. It's considered an eyesore.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

I wish they'd outlaw Kevin Bacon.

Then we'd have to start playing eight degrees of Kevin Bacon.

 

[Manic]

I like to consider "the government" to be any governing body despite its size. So while the federal government is "the government," so are city council or the student body government in high school. So many people thought I wanted to destroy the United States in 10th grade because of that...

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Fair enough...