Possible Ban on Baggy Pants in "Hot-Lanta"??

**Pudge** · 08-23-07, 11:29 PM

ATLANTA - Baggy pants that show boxer shorts or thongs would be illegal under a proposed amendment to Atlanta's indecency laws. The amendment, sponsored by city councilman C.T. Martin, states that sagging pants are an "epidemic" that is becoming a "major concern" around the country.

"Little children see it and want to adopt it, thinking it's the in thing," Martin said Wednesday. "I don't want young people thinking that half-dressing is the way to go. I want them to think about their future."
The proposed ordinance would also bar women from showing the strap of a thong beneath their pants. They would also be prohibited from wearing jogging bras in public or show a bra strap, said Debbie Seagraves, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia.
The proposed ordinance states that "the indecent exposure of his or her undergarments" would be unlawful in a public place. It would go in the same portion of the city code that outlaws sex in public and the exposure or fondling of genitals.
The penalty would be a fine in an amount to be determined, Martin said.
But Seagraves said any legislation that creates a dress code would not survive a court challenge. She said the law could not be enforced in a nondiscriminatory way because it targets something that came out of the black youth culture.
"This is a racial profiling bill that promotes and establishes a framework for an additional type of racial profiling," Seagraves said.
Martin, who is black, said he plans to hold public hearings and vet the proposal through churches, civil rights groups and neighborhood organizations. The proposal will get its first public airing next Tuesday in the City Council's Public Safety Committee.
"The purpose of the paper is to generate some conversation to see if we can find a solution," Martin said. "It will be like all the discussions we've had around the value of the hip-hop culture. We know there are First Amendment issues ... and some will say I'm just trying to put young black men in jail, but it's going to be fines."
Makeda Johnson, an Atlanta mother of a 14-year-old girl, said she is glad Martin introduced the proposal. She does not want to see a law against clothing, but said she thinks teenagers are sending a message with a way of dressing that is based in jailhouse behavior.
Atlanta would not be the first city to take on sagging pants.
Earlier this year, the town council in Delcambre, La., passed an ordinance that carries a fine of up to $500 or six months in jail for exposing underwear in public. Several other municipalities and parish governments in Louisiana have enacted similar laws in recent months.
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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com

Too bad that's not around here. I could finally have something to back it up with when I tell the little wannbes to buy a belt.

**Terminator** · 08-23-07, 11:37 PM

I probably have a different view than some here. I hate punks wearing baggy jeans down to their ass. But, I also don't think that the government has any place in telling people how to wear their clothes, as long as it's not indecent. I think the government already sticks their nose in enough business that it doesn't belong in anyway (eg: steroids in wrestling,...etc).

**Pudge** · 08-23-07, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by Terminator

I probably have a different view than some here. I hate punks wearing baggy jeans down to their ass. But, I also don't think that the government has any place in telling people how to wear their clothes, as long as it's not indecent. I think the government already sticks their nose in enough business that it doesn't belong in anyway (eg: steroids in wrestling,...etc).

I can see you point. And to play devil's advocate I will say I've never lost a foot pursuit with someone in baggy pants.

**Norm357** · 08-24-07, 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by Terminator

I probably have a different view than some here. I hate punks wearing baggy jeans down to their ass. But, I also don't think that the government has any place in telling people how to wear their clothes, as long as it's not indecent. I think the government already sticks their nose in enough business that it doesn't belong in anyway (eg: steroids in wrestling,...etc).

I agree.

**lewisipso** · 08-24-07, 06:37 AM

A very small town in my jurisdiction adopted an ordinance like that once. We enforced it only for a short time when they were made to repeal it.

**kjlaw** · 08-24-07, 06:56 AM

These bans are good in theory but lack the ability to be enforceable. While I too hate the look of it I agree that it is not the place of government to be the fashion police of society. Now I totally agree that it is not only the right but the obligation of schools and businesses to make and enforce rules regarding the dress of those attending and working there.

**KaiGywer** · 08-24-07, 12:05 PM

Gotta agree here. Baggy pants look like shit, but as long as they aren't indecent, it's not the government's job to decide what to wear.

**4everlate** · 08-25-07, 11:20 PM

The irony on this is that the supposed origins of these baggy/saggy pants comes from the "one size fits all" pants issued in jails and prison.

**Cidp24** · 08-25-07, 11:39 PM

Ban 'em!

**mack** · 08-26-07, 12:06 AM

I gotta agree with Term. If the government starts monitoring what people wear what is next. Now I don't wear that fashion myself and at work we do have a rule that says pants must be worn at the waist, but this is jail not the street. I have pants that are baggy and I wear around the house, if I go out to check the mail in them on my day off am I going to be arrested cause they are loose and my thong might show a little???