US town bans saggy pants
Source: the guardian
June 14, 2007
Low-hanging, baggy trousers may get you respect on the streets but they could also land you with a six-month prison sentence in one US town.
Louisiana Town council has unanimously passed an indecent exposure ordinance, which also carries a $500 (£254) fine, prohibiting people wearing trousers which show their underwear or, as Mayor Carol Broussard puts it, "private parts".
Some residents have accused the council of targeting young black males, but Cllr Broussard insisted: "White people wear sagging pants, too."
Low-slung trousers are believed to originate from inmates in US prisons who were issued with ill-fitting clothes and denied belts because of suicide risk, but they have been popularised in recent years by rap stars such as such as Snoop Doggy Dog and Eminem.
Town attorney Ted Ayo said the ordinance expands on the existing state indecent exposure law by adding underwear to the list of forbidden exposures.
"This is a new ordinance that deals specifically with sagging pants," he said. "It's about showing off your underwear in public."
Delcambre councillor Albert Roy introduced the ordinance but even he believes a $500 fine is far too much. "I think it should be something like $25," he said.
Police Chief James Broussard said he does not have a problem with trousers that hang below the waist if they are covered by a long T-shirt.
But Louisiana Town resident Adam George said: "It's not like I'm showing my privates or anything like that - it's my boxers."
It is unclear whether those jailed in Louisiana Town for contravening the ordinance will be issued with fitted trousers or belts to help stop them sagging.
