By Gabe Bullard
Filed Friday, November 16, 2007 at 10:04 AM
On Monday, Pine Lawn became the first town in Missouri to ban sagging pants.
According to the ordinance, pants are illegally sagging if they show underwear or skin below the waist. This law applies to males and females.
Those who violate the law face a $100 fine and the parents of violating minors can be charged $500 or sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Mayor Sylvester Caldwell says he received complaints about the fashion from elderly members of the community. Also, he thinks the law will make Pine Lawn more appealing to developers, although no developers specifically said they had a problem with excessively loose pants.
The law has come under fire as a way for police to target young people. Pine Lawn Police Chief Rickey Collins says this is not the case. He points to specific language in the ordinance that says sagging pants are not grounds for search and arrest, and he said he will only issue fines to people who repeatedly sag their pants in public.
Despite criticism, Caldwell believes he has made the right decision by sponsoring the law. He also said other municipalities are interested in similar bans.
Labels: County, Young_People
16 Comments:
This is an excellent law. Nobody should be forced to see the undergarments of other individuals. The saggin of pants came from the prison population to signify that you have been raped by a man, and now you are that man's piece of booty. Saggin was meant to be degrading to the man that was raped by another man in prison.
All public schools, shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants, and respectable places of business should adopt this policy. Let the people that want to sag, do so in the club or in prison. In fact, sometimes the people saggin underwear is not clean, or you can see their flesh. This use to only happen when someone was grossly obese and they bent over, but now it happens everywhere.
The St. Louis Public Schools have a policy against saggin, but it is not truly enforced. Students wear uniforms with their pants saggin, and they are not disciplined at all.
Fine the parents when the children sag and make them take some responsibility for their children. I think more parents should be fined anyway for the actions of their children.
Here is the last interesting fact about "SAGGIN", which is why it is so popular. WHEN YOU SPELL "SAGGIN" BACKWARDS YOU GET THE WORD "NIGGAS!" THAT IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT SAG TOO!!!!! BY THE WAY "NIGGAS" COME IN ALL COLORS!
HOW ABOUT THAT?
11/16/2007 12:20 PM
I don't like to look at other people's underpants, and I think sagging is silly, but it's ridiculous to attempt to legislate this. The saggers are not indecent by any community standard. They are covered, if distastefully. Where the custom came from (the version above has been debunked, by the way) and what I think of it is irrelevant. This law is, thankfully, unconstitutional and will be struck down.
11/16/2007 1:51 PM
This seems like a direct violation of ones freedom of speech. How can wearing your clothes a certian way be deemed as unlawful, while I do agree its bad taste, governement should not be trying to regulate the way people chose wear their clothes.
As long as its not indecent exposure, no form of government has the constitutional right to prohibit how you choose to wear your clothing. Sagging pants definitely does not fall under indecent exposure. I have heard of no cases were someone was given jail time for the buttcrack showing. Like I said I find sagging distasteful, but neither I, nor the government has the right (under the US Constitution) to regulate how you wear your clothing. The only law that I can agree with, pertaining to clothing, is the indecent exposure law, and that does not have a broad enough interpretation to give someone jail time for sagging or their but buttcracks showing.
While many find this funny, I personally feel like its an infringement on my civil liberties as a citizen. Its small cases such as these that give broad ranging latitude for government to chip away at civil liberties. We have lost enough freedoms in the last 6 years all the way from federal laws, states laws, and now local laws.
This also is targeted legislation at young blacks, when was the las time you heard of Gothic clothing being deemed illegal???
11/16/2007 2:07 PM
That fist post is about as dumb as the ordinance. I hate to name call, but somebody has to say it. I am deeply sorry if some one has rubbed their saggy pants warring booty in your face, but no on is making me look at saggy pants boxers.
The first amendment means you can ware your pants low.
Look, making fashion laws is stupid. Literally creating fashion police is a waste of time money and brain cells.
Some one probably will say that I am stifling discussion by name calling, but few thousand dollar court settlement and embarrassment on national news will hurt pine lawn allot more than name calling.
11/16/2007 2:08 PM
While I want to protect myself against seeing an unattractive rear end, I am likewise torn by my desire to see a cute bum now and then.
I am also thinking that sagging pants would be a boon for the biggest developers...like strip clubs and casinos!
I am also thinking you can't require people to buy pants that fit.
And unless someone's free expression violates another person's rights (and as far as I know there's no law about an individual's right to not see boxers)--GAME OVER, Pine Lawn.
11/16/2007 5:14 PM
No one has mentioned potential female violators. What about women wearing low-rise pants that show the underwear? Depending on where you go, panties and thongs are way more visible than boxers.
11/16/2007 10:42 PM
Soap Box
It is sad that this can NOT be legislated. I think the sagging look has been exhausted; unfortunately, die-hards won't let it go. Sadly there is no one who cares enough about these young men or whom they care enough for to listen about how ridiculous they look, but if sagging is outlawed, low cut blouses is next, fat people in tight pants after that, and just plain ugly folks will be outlawed finally. Too bad parents won't get a handle on this, but young mothers buy even their toddlers clothes to emulate the knuckle-headed "fashion boys". How sad they are -parents and children alike.
11/17/2007 1:41 AM
It's unconstitutional and will be challenged.
11/17/2007 1:43 PM
They made a serious mistake.
They have just outlawed all plumbers and electricians.
11/18/2007 12:04 AM
How many of you want to bet this law will backfire and encourage young people to sag even more?
Isn't it the young person's job to defy authority?
Remember being young?
11/18/2007 12:06 AM
LOL! Remember Dan Akroyd on SNL?
The Norge Repairman...classic.
11/18/2007 12:08 AM
How low, yes I remember that scene on saturday night live with Dan Akroyd. he was installing a refrigerator for a homeowner. When he turned around the crack of his butt was showing...It was funny as hell because we all have seen these type of repairmen with saggy pants..Now back to reality..I don't know what to say about the youth that wear their trousers down to their butt. It just look so dayum stupid..You see them at shnucks. the mall..the service stations..When I was young we wore double knit slacks with chuck taylor sneakers..and that was back in the 70's. the only difference was..we had a belt on above our waste..so the only thing that looked weired was the converse sneakers whereas we should have had on stacy adams..but at least our butts were covered ...Well I hope this fad with the hanging trousers end soon because these young men look like dayum fools and they don't even know it..
11/18/2007 1:42 AM
I am a gay male and I oppose the law! I love seeing the sweet rounded buttocks as these young men wobble along with their pants hanging low,makes me want to reach out and grab a handfull of their beautiful buttocks!
11/18/2007 11:49 AM
This is the dumbest law i have ever seen. The only acual complaints have been by old people who arent gonna b here much longer anywayz so it wouldnt matter. Sagging your pants is not a fucking fashion statement its just another way to where our clothes. The government shouldnt be allowed to tell the people that run this country how to wear there clothes.
2/15/2008 11:57 AM
It is total bullshit that if we get in trouble for sagging that our parents have to take the blame, how does that make any sense at all? And a 500 dollar fucking fine, fuck that we could use that money to buy pants that fit us, but we wont.
2/15/2008 12:06 PM
oh yeah and fuck the fashion police
2/15/2008 12:29 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home