 So, they’re only arresting guys? |
As fashion statements go, the young men’s “sagging pants” look, with trousers slung low enough to reveal a generous swath of boxer shorts, has some lamentable drawbacks.
For one thing, it can veer perilously close to the ultimate wardrobe crisis for a man: a sudden drop of trousers to the ankles. Then there is the legal issue. In this tiny beachfront town [Riviera Beach] 70 miles north of Miami, the look is against the law…
Other cities, including Lynwood, Ill., and Flint, Mich., have passed similar measures, but none appear to have pursued violators as energetically as Riviera Beach. Since the law took effect last July, 15 to 20 young men have been charged with violating the ordinance, defense lawyers say.
But with many of the cases pending, the Office of the Palm Beach County Public Defender last week challenged the ordinance on constitutional grounds…
Mayor Thomas Masters, a Baptist minister, said in an interview that Riviera Beach voters “just got tired of having to look at people’s behinds or their undergarments,” but the public defenders argued that sagging pants were a constitutionally protected expression of identity…
On Singer Island, Bart Berling, the owner of Mother Nature’s Cafe, also questioned the sense of outlawing low-slung pants. “I was young in the ’60s, when people started wearing their hair real long,” Mr. Berling said. He does not like the style, he said, “but as long as they ain’t naked, what’s the point?”
IMHO, people have the right to look as silly as they wish to.
#14 atumsky, you just gave the perfect, in 100 words or less, definition of a Republican! Thank you very much, well said.
Whats wrong with it? An indication that the guy wearing his pants in that manner is ready to drop his drawers for anyone who might want to shove “it” up his rear end. .. This is a civil liberty question to be handled by the homo folks. .. If it turns you on, maybe you should rethink your own identity.
If it is not applied equally to races and, or gender then it is an equal protection violation.
# 23 Jeff said, “If it is not applied equally to races and, or gender then it is an equal protection violation.”
Like women can’t go topless but men can?
Yes, you have a point. It is a violation of the equal protection clause under the 14th amendment.
Two important points:
1). There are a number of local regions where men can not go topless. Others where large “men” or those suffering from genetic disorders can not. Finally, pretty much everywhere there is a local policy of no shoes, no shirt and no service.
2). You can enforce the local laws under obscenity laws. The trouble here is that they are often vague and easy to challenge. Still, you can use local ordinances to enforce policy.
On the face of it, however, yes, both are violations of the equal protection clause.