Posted on 08/30/2007 5:56:22 AM PDT by King of Florida
JAMARCUS MARSHALL, a 17-year-old high school sophomore in Mansfield, La., believes that no one should be able to tell him how low to wear his jeans. “It’s up to the person who’s wearing the pants,” he said.
Mr. Marshall’s sagging pants, a style popularized in the early 1990s by hip-hop artists, are becoming a criminal offense in a growing number of communities, including his own.
Starting in Louisiana, an intensifying push by lawmakers has determined pants worn low enough to expose underwear poses a threat to the public, and they have enacted indecency ordinances to stop it.
Since June 11, sagging pants have been against the law in Delcambre, La., a town of 2,231 that is 80 miles southwest of Baton Rouge. The style carries a fine of as much as $500 or up to a six-month sentence. “We used to wear long hair, but I don’t think our trends were ever as bad as sagging,” said Mayor Carol Broussard.
An ordinance in Mansfield, a town of 5,496 near Shreveport, subjects offenders to a fine (as much as $150 plus court costs) or jail time (up to 15 days). Police Chief Don English said the law, which takes effect Sept. 15, will set a good civic image.
Behind the indecency laws may be the real issue — the hip-hop style itself, which critics say is worn as a badge of delinquency, with its distinctive walk conveying thuggish swagger and a disrespect for authority. Also at work is the larger issue of freedom of expression and the questions raised when fashion moves from being merely objectionable to illegal.
Sagging began in prison, where oversized uniforms were issued without belts to prevent suicide and their use as weapons. The style spread through rappers and music videos, from the ghetto to the suburbs and around the world.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
But on the up-side of the argument, these delinquencts who wear their pants like this can’t be a purse or chain snatcher. How would they run from the scene? Cuts down on potential crimes where speed of foot is required. Otherwise, those who wear their pants like that should be taught a lesson in civility. Walk around any mall and it’s disgusting to see.
I see these stupid guys walking up the street where I have my business - their pants are so baggy, they have to hold them up with one hand while they walk! One guy stopped to light his cigarette & his pants fell down.
I shudder to think what the next trend these idiots will blindly follow.
How can these stand up to a court challenge? It isn’t like any naughty bits are showing when they do this.
I don’t like the look either, but everyone has the right to identify themselves as an idiot.
My sentiments exactly. These guys look like clowns and deserve to be publicly ridiculed for their fashion. However, I do have problems with passing laws against foolish-looking clothing. As long as nobody is going "commando" I don't really see that there is an issue of indecency. Boxer shorts pretty much cover everything.
The fashion police should also be on the look out for young ladies who wear midriff shirts while their dunlop bellies hang over the front of their pants. Make the world a safer place.
“It’s up to the person who’s wearing the pants,” he said.
Pull up you pants, or pull them down when you get to the jailhouse.
And I think this is the real issue. People feel threatened. If you have a group of 4 or 5 white "Goth" kids hanging out in the mall wearing black lipstick and eyeliner, nobody feels threatened by them. Put 4 or 5 young black males in the mall with their sagging pants, gold "grills" and menacing scowls on their faces, and people are uncomfortable. I see this all the time in our local Florida mall. These guys swagger through the malls being loud and disruptive and the other shoppers make an effort to avoid making eye contact and generally get out of the way. Of course, everybody puts up with this behavior because nobody wants to instigate anything that could turn violent.
Call me what you want but I think this is a valid perception.
I am not calling you anything...you were spot on.
But its not politically correct to tell the truth.
Those have been around for quite a while. And you're right, they look like dresses.
Leaving aside how one might feel about how stupid either the giant white t-shirts or the sagging jeans look, (a) it's not very creative because every two-bit thug in the 'hood dresses this way, and (b) for a segment of the population that's big on being "down," it's a look that's been around way too long to even be remotely considered fashionable.
Whatever happened to the 80s, when the urban youth sported those sharp track suits or nicely cut jeans and Puma suede sneakers?
I'll never forget photos of the '01 Cincinnati riots showing a bunch of thugs trying to climb a fence to evade the cops. Their pants had all fallen to their ankles making it it difficult!
I thought baggy jeans were out of style. The young hipsters I see are wearing tight jeans now.
The fashion police should also be on the look out for young ladies who wear midriff shirts while their dunlop bellies hang over the front of their pants. Make the world a safer place.
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Commonly known as the “Muffin Top”
I’m glad the article mentions it came in style waaaay back in the early ‘90s (I’d say ~’91, before I got out of college).
The sad thing is most of the sad, depressing, ugly styles of the ‘90s have STILL not disappeared.
It’s 1 time I wish people would be more faddish.
TIME TO UPDATE THE “STYLE”, IDIOTS! IT’S BEEN 15 YEARS!
I see no problem with this falling under most “public decency” laws. They show their butts or even their underwear, that’s indecent.
Not sure about “threatened”, but I sure feel disgust seeing Goths, too.
And we have plenty of white boys doing the “prison gangsta” thing.
They all look STUPID.
LOL you are so right! (That is, assuming they’re full-length pants, not cut-offs or shorts.)
My nephew was all into this scum scene, and back in 2001 when he was 13, he had those GIANT pants (huge everywhere from top to bottom - let’s not forget it’s not just the waist) all the time. When he TRIED to run - it was hilarious! With those stupid cuffs piling up on the floor with his shoes, instead of running normally legs totally in front, he was throwing his feet/calves etc out to the SIDE to be able to half-run! Pathetic.
If you know horses, it was like the action of a Paso Fino’s lower leg in trot.
Look, Jamarcus, you're already at a disadvantage because you have a stupid name. Give yourself a chance in life and PULL YOUR F$%KING PANTS UP!
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