Delcambre La Makes Sagging Pants A Jail Offense

Article written by: Rodrick Rainey
Posted on: June 20, 2007

Sag your britches somewhere else, this Cajun-country town has decided.

Mayor Carol Broussard said he would sign an ordinance, which will more than likely target the minority population in the the community, town council approved this week setting penalties of up to six months in jail and a $500 fine for being caught in pants that show undergarments or certain parts of the body.

Broussard said he had nothing against saggy pants but thought people who wear them should use discretion. “It’s gotten way out of hand out here,” he said.

Albert Roy, the councilman who introduced the ordinance, said he thought the fine was a little steep and should be more in the $25 range. But he still favored the measure.

“I don’t know if it will do any good, but it won’t hurt,” Roy said. “It’s obvious, and anybody with common sense can see your parts when you wear sagging pants.”

The ordinance states, “It shall be unlawful for any person in any public place or in view of the public to be found in a state of nudity, or partial nudity, or in dress not becoming to his or her sex, or in any indecent exposure of his or her person or undergarments, or be guilty of any indecent or lewd behavior.”

The law applies to women as well as men, the mayor said last week. “If you expose some of your privates, the crack of your behind, if somebody feels insulted they should press charges. If you’re offended by it, we want to straighten that out.”

The clause about “dress not becoming to his or her sex” doesn’t forbid cross-dressing, Broussard said. “A dress, I wouldn’t find that obscene. As long as he covers himself and it’s not too short.”

The ordinance isn’t needed because the state has an indecent-exposure law, resident Sylvester Harris said during the June 11 council meeting. But town attorney Ted Ayo said the measure expanded on the state law by adding underwear to the list of forbidden exposures.

“This is a new ordinance that deals specifically with sagging pants,” Ayo said. “It’s about showing off your underwear in public.”

Town resident Adam George had another objection. “It’s just going to be harassment,” he said at the meeting. “People that don’t like me are going to call and complain on me and say I’ve got saggy pants. I’m going to have to pay to bond out, even if I’m right.”

Police Chief James Broussard said he didn’t have a problem with George’s pants, which hung below his waist but were covered by a long T-shirt.

“It’s not like I’m showing my privates or anything like that,” George said. “It’s my boxers.”

Mayor Broussard’s advice for people who like their pants to hang low: “Just wear it properly. Cover your vital parts. I mean, if you expose your private parts, you’ll get a fine. If you walk up and your pants drop, you get a fine. They’re better off taking the pants off and just wearing a dress.”

SoJones.com operator Rodrick Rainey left comments on-line calling the ordinace one of the the most backward issues a town could put effort into. “We’re worried about sagging pants while there’s issues such as a crooked war, local poverty, and getting displaced Louisianians’ New Orleans property back. We do not need obvious indecent exposure but we do not need this negative reaction either. A negative plus a negative will never equal a positive. Jailing youth is not going to solve sagging pants and this will be a complex issue over time.”

This is not the first town to look into the ordinace either. According to news archives on the SoJones site, Virginia also had a city try to pass a similiar law. That law was revoked promptly, placing focus and citizen paid tax fundings on more relevant issues.

“The youth are the first to stand for their rights and cops will be the first to murder them in the urban community. We had one man already murdered for a wallet in New York, I guess sagging pants will be the next police firing target. Underwear is fabric, jeans are fabric, so who’s really starring to get offended by the wrong one showing,” said the Hip Hop clothing site founder.

An open discussion is being started on SoJones’ Hip Hop fashion community board for an educated debate. Those wishing to speak on the topic can visit the community at http://www.sojones.com/urb1_dot_com/ and goto the “Mr SoJones” forum.