Wearing one’s pants low can now lead to a fine or arrest in the city of Pikeville, Tennessee. According to reports, the city’s mayor, Phil Cagle, created an ordinance that will make it illegal to wear saggy pants.
The city council approved the ordinance and would charge those who are guilty of having their pants three inches below the top of the hips with public indecency. The first offense would be subject to a $25 fine; every additional offense would net a $50 fine.
The ordinance suggested that saggy pants could cause health problems and lead to “improper gait.”
But while saggy pants can be viewed as tacky, it should never come down to being a criminal offense. The implementation of the law can be very sketchy considering that oversize pants can produce a “saggy” look. The ordinance can also lead police officers to stop and frisk individuals without warrant or probable cause. As a result, there is a better chance for black teens who wear saggy pants to be criminalized at an early age.
Beyond it being a criminal offense, the ordinance is simply a conservative ideology that could have a lasting affect in more ways than one.
