Louisiana has had an outbreak of youngsters wearing sagging pants that cover half of their back-end. Not only is it a problem for society to change or ban this “new trend,” but illegal because of citizens rights. Several teenagers think the trend is popular and cool other’s think it’s foolish and are offended by it. In the eyes of society sagging pants gives an automatic assumption of “trouble up ahead” or bad appearance and sets a bad example for younger children. According to Louisiana, the Jefferson Police Department has passed a law making it legal for any person with pants below their waist in public to be fined. Jurors approved the law and the banning was taken into effect Wednesday of last week.
The American Press stated, “Those who are violating the law faces a fifty-dollar fine for the first offense , second offense is one hundred dollars, and the third offense is another one hundred dollar fine with sixteen hours of public-community service for each offense.”
Some of the civil liberty groups call “sagging” unconstitutional; because it tends to target African- Americans more than whites. Civil liberty groups in the past have argued that bans are constitutional under the 14th amendment.
Police Juror Steve Eastman reported, “Sagging pants have been a long-running problem in the parish.”
The phrase “sagging pants” originated from prisons where the men wore oversized clothing and were not allowed to have belts because they could be used as a weapon or for committing suicide. Hip- hop dancers began to copy the look in the nineties. Young men who were in prison that were homosexual would attract or send a signal to other men by sagging their pants below their waist. Sagging is a manner of wearing trousers which sag below the waist revealing undergarments.
Similar laws have been covered within many of the communities like in Florida and New Jersey. Although it seems to come and go. Left and right, schools are catching students for dress-code violation whether it’s sagging pants to tights.
For years citizens have been allowed to have their freedom of expression without any trouble or punishment. It seems like the government chooses not to allow this activity and wants to be against it because it is offensive to public and the people who are around.
This trend has caused so much controversy that it has now become a nation wide problem. It does not look like there will be any resolution anytime soon. So for now society will just have to turn their heads and look the other way.