The Link Between Sagging Pants Laws and the Drug War
Radley Balko points out that police in Flint, MI have started going after people whose pants sag below their boxer shorts:
Leaving aside the absurdity of telling people how to wear their pants, just contemplate the ironic path that brought us here. The style itself is an artifact of prison culture, where inmates' belts and shoelaces are confiscated and the standard-issue clothes never fit right. The style made its way back onto the streets where it entered popular culture. Now, in 2008, you can go to jail for 93 days to a year just for dressing like an inmate.
In an urban landscape already ravaged by decades of racial profiling and drug war demolition tactics, police have codified their own authority to stop and frisk people whose style of dress is already stigmatized by presumed criminality. The number of things young people in America can't get arrested for approaches zero at an exponential rate.
Leaving aside the absurdity of telling people how to wear their pants, just contemplate the ironic path that brought us here. The style itself is an artifact of prison culture, where inmates' belts and shoelaces are confiscated and the standard-issue clothes never fit right. The style made its way back onto the streets where it entered popular culture. Now, in 2008, you can go to jail for 93 days to a year just for dressing like an inmate.
In an urban landscape already ravaged by decades of racial profiling and drug war demolition tactics, police have codified their own authority to stop and frisk people whose style of dress is already stigmatized by presumed criminality. The number of things young people in America can't get arrested for approaches zero at an exponential rate.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!
Project civil city
[email protected],Vancouver,B.C.Canada This is a group set up to make life as difficult as possible for the homeless and disadvantaged in town.Millions have been spent on differing departments all with the same goal.They claim it's to reduce aggressive panhandling and to connect people with resources.They've written a lot of tickets for loitering and sleeping outdoors,no helmet,urinating in public.Thing's these people can never pay for.They have recently added the fashion police to their list of no-no's.These people live outdoors.Memos have been released that display their true intent,like moving people along if they are in one spot for 15 mins.and lately the sanitation people have been taking everything they own.Similar to the low rider pants thing.You bet,it's petty nit picking of a specific group by the existing power structure.
DROOPING DRAWERS
HOW ABOUT OLD FAT MEN WHO DONT WEAR THIERE SUSPENDERS THAT DAY ARE THEY GOIN TO JAIL TO .WTF
What about the plumber?
He always has a crack
Just what we need- another victimless crime
Like there's not enough real crimes with real victims to worry about. I guess this is more fun for Flint's finest than going looking for drunk drivers and other violent criminals.
The Real Problem
Well to be consistent, they should at least start locking up fat bitches who wear clothes 4 sizes too small. Now THAT'S indecent exposure.
What about low clevage blouses.
Hey, why not show impartiality by imposing similar penalties for women whose blevage shows too much clevage or whose skirt is too high? Come on guys, this is stupud, even for you.
Jeez
I thought it was April Fool's Day for a second.
race
i would like to know if this law was racially charged against young african american men. I know that other races also wear baggy pants, but a majority of young black men sag. Is this law designed to imprison more young black men?
A bunch of crap
Why are we so concerned about the way people wear their clothes when there are people out there getting killed by drunk drivers or gang related activities? Police need to be more concerned with things like that then giving someone a ticket or arresting someone for the way they dress. I agree with some of the other people that have posted things on here about the way women dress. They have skirts and shorts that are way to short and shirts that reveal way to much of their chest. Why not go after them? Those I consider to be more indecent then someone's pants being below their butt!!!
unfair
i agree with everyone else its so unfair what country is this law in?
Really People?!
"people whose pants sag below
"people whose pants sag below their boxer shorts" You mean men? What if they wear briefs and not boxers?
Cultural not racial
I have seen many people that are good kids "fronting" by wearing their pants this way in order to fit in with a certain culture. this is ot localized only to black men. I have seen men and women of many racial backgrounds wearing their pants this way. It really stems from a culture of " the rules don't apply to me". And truthfully, we don't want to see your skid marks.
Should this be law??? Absolutely not!!
However, a private biz does have the right to establish a dress code and if you want to frequent that biz or use it's services, you will need to follow the rules.Now many say that they want to dress like this to thumb their noses at mainstream culture and that's fine, but don't expect to be welcomed into that mainstream or to even be able to succeed in modern society. It is relative to getting a facial tattoo, you are just confining yourself to a minimum wage job for the rest of your life... but even Burger King makes you pull your pants up!
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