How Low Can You Go?
Lil Wayne/Photo: Matt Doyle
Besides the threat of hurricanes, looming floods, and infinite rednecks, the poor people of Louisiana also have to deal with small town, backwater politicians like Mayor Carol Broussard passing demeaning laws. The good ol’ boy of a mayor is advocating a law that actually makes it illegal to show your underwear in public in the town of Delcambre. The new law will specifically target baggy jeans or as they put it, “saggy trousers.” Offenders could risk getting a $500 fine or 6 months in jail. Thankfully, not everyone in the town is supportive:
Some residents say the ordinance targets blacks, as low-slung trousers are fashionable among Hip Hop fans.
A charge that the mayor denies, claiming: “White people wear sagging pants, too.” Even more frighteningly comical than the law itself, are the accompanying images the mainstream media is scrambling for to demonstrate the outlawed fashion look. Being all fashionably concerned and all, we gathered a few for your perusal after the jump.
And finally the black sheep of the bunch. They show the “proper” and “legal” style of jeans.
Guardian
[Source]
Chris Rock June 14, 2007 at 10:50 pm
“CRACKA ASS CRACKAS!”
blackchux June 15, 2007 at 1:40 pm
wtf!!! guess they runnig outta reasons to be taking our $$$$$$so come up wit some bullshit like this!!!!!
tootaloo June 15, 2007 at 4:00 pm
These people are looking for yet another reason to incriminate black men, to hell with them all!
nana June 15, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I don’t think it has anything to do with race. I’m a black female from New Orleans, and I’m quite tired of these men wearing their clothes in this way. They look really stuuupid if you ask me and I’m glad someone is doing something about it. These dudes just need to learn how to dress and stop looking ridiculous.
I AM June 15, 2007 at 4:49 pm
picture someone saying you a lady cant wear earring or they will be fined or jailed because joe blow dont like it.
It just dont fly with me if you dont like dont look and dont do it but dont tell me i cant because you like your pants up your ass.
got life fucked up
4evO-young June 15, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Underwear is called underwear, cuz it goes under your regular wear. The reasons behind it are same as if people wore NO PANTS at all .. Imagine if streets, buses, planes, restaurants were full with old, fat, dirty or just plain ass ugly people in just their underwear.. On subway, would you like to sit next the the huge, hairy guy in briefs? I think not. If next fashion will be “loose” pants with NO underwear, will you support it too? Lets have bunch of hairy asses hanging around? Underwear, same as nakedness falls under category of indecent exposure. I personaly would not mind if there was a fashion for young, hot model babes to roam the streets naked, but if the law would allow it, there would not be any hot naked chix on the street, there would be bunch of naked perverts blocking my views from cafeteria window during my lunch hour. That is why its called indecent. Showing your underwear in public is indecent, and should be punished with some small penalty (like jaywalking) . People still gonna do it, but let them pay the price. And if I dont to see someones underwear with skidmarks, i should be able to tell him to pull his pants up, or call the cops .. :-) .. its not very gangsta, but we are talkign about law here, right?
RAY June 18, 2007 at 11:14 am
thats some straight bullshit
Jay_mo June 18, 2007 at 11:34 am
This is ri-dic-ulous!!!!!! My next wquestion is-Are they going to fine those white kids that walk around with piercings in their f-ing faces and those goth lookin’ mofos??!!?? Black People- Please do not sit by and let these crackas keep putting us down and bad enough they saying nigga on tv now we can’t let our pants sag? Getdafuqouttahere!
DoWnToWn_NyC_BK_aLLdAy June 18, 2007 at 1:18 pm
this is a stupid law that attacks not only blacks but freedom of speech in general. Allowing ones pants to sag low enough to reveal ones underwears is not a crime and should not be considered one. It is injustice and unconstitutional and even if an individual does not agree with this type of fashion they should not allow such a law to be permitted. People often wear
clothes way more revealing and offensive which i dont disagree with but im just trying to make a point, for there should be no limits to the clothes we wear as long as they do not reveal any private areas. For example many girls wear shirts that reveal their chest or most of there legs yet nobody complains (especially not me) a man might be joking with pum-pum shorts but theres no law against that. I just think this is a way to raise government funds and gain a greater control over the masses
DoWnToWn_NyC_BK_aLLdAy June 18, 2007 at 1:22 pm
i meant walking not joking Brooklyn NY all day baby from Ci to the Bush crown heights EAst NY Bed Stuy Canarsie Fort Greene mad nuff other neighborhoods i 4got the most populated city in the US for a reason
andres June 19, 2007 at 10:24 am
the sad part is people don’t realize how much this is just thinly veiled racism.
Jeff July 18, 2008 at 11:36 am
All this is doing is targeting groups of people that wear “baggy jeans”. You dont hear them complaining of chicks with thongs hanging out of their tight ass pants now do you? No you do not.
Jeff @ lenshare.blogspot.com
Slim aka The Boss July 22, 2008 at 9:19 am
Here is my take on the whole new “NO SAG” law. There are so many ways to be stylish without wearing your pants down half pass your ass. It’s not just men “of color”. Seems like everytime something like this comes up that is automatically thought up. No one is out to just discriminate against “men of color”. White kids do it, Hispanic kids do it, and Asian kids do it. I’m Asian. What’s so freaking stylish about wearing your pants down your butt?! Let me ask you guys a question. Do you think a potential employer is going to hire your ass dressed like that?
Emily August 8, 2008 at 4:44 am
I kinda understand both points of view with this law, underwear is underwear, so yea should be under the clothes blah blah,
I personally don’t get offended if I see someone with they’re underwear hanging out.
But I mostly wanted to comment on people saying that this is racist.
I don’t know if its true in America or not, but definately where i live in England, this would not even be considered racist because here I would think I see more white people with this fashion than black!
I don’t know if its the same in America, but over here “skater boy” types, they always have they’re underwear hanging out, as well as “gangsta” types. In my opinion this is nothing to do with colour.
Anyway. I’m fed up of racism, but also fed up of people quick to judge that something is racist.