Many US cities have begun placing fines and penalties on individuals caught in public wearing saggy pants.
Village leaders in south Chicago’s suburb, Lynwood, have already approved an ordinance levying fines up to $25 against people showing at least three inches or more of their underwear, according to the Associated Press.
The law has received acclaim from Lynwood’s mayor, Eugene Williams, who claims half-dressed young men had previously kept the area from growing as major retailers and economic developers were swayed away.
According to Newsweek, a similar law has sprouted in Flint, Michigan as new police chief David Dicks has given approval to begin arresting “saggers” in addition to threatening them with jail time and fines. He has been quoted calling the popular urban style “immoral self expression” although the look has been around for decades.
“I’ve been sagging since the fourth grade,” Flint resident Jayson Miguel told Newsweek. “I’ll be sagging when I’m old and gray.”
As of today, Dicks has only issued warnings, but has promised anyone wearing their pants below their underwear violates the city’s disorderly conduct code and will be punished by 93 days to a year in jail or a fine up to $500.
The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has begun taking matters in to their own hands telling the top cop he may either stop the policy or face a court battle. Attorney and president of ACLU Greg Gibbs felt the new law is simply based on personal dislikes of Dicks.
“Under no stretch of the imagination does wearing saggy pants that reveal the top of one’s boxer shorts violate the Flint disorderly conduct ordinance,” Gibbs said. “This man has basically taken his own dislikes of a style of dress and made it a violation of criminal law.”
In addition to the legal battle Dicks may face from Gibbs, the chief could also have an uphill racial fight as a Flint police officer called into a local radio station last week claiming officers were previously using the policy to profile minorities.
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