Jul 15, 2008 8:08 pm US/Eastern
N.J. Councilman Starts Crusade Against Saggy Pants
Paterson Politician Is Sick And Tired Of The Look And If He Has It His Way, Indecency Fines Will Soon Follow
PATERSON, N.J. (CBS) ―
Instead of "stick 'em up," it will be more like "pull 'em up" now that fashion police in New Jersey have started a crackdown on baggy pants.
It's happening in Paterson, where city officials want to put the kibosh on this form of fashion.
Bart Johnson says wearing his pants low in a fashion statement, but one councilman is saying pull it up. He's even crafted a proposal to ban "baggy pants."
Teenagers and even little ones and women are sporting the fashion. The "saggy" or "baggy" look, where pants are pulled down and boxers are exposed seems to be all the rage these days.
Well, at least for some.
"I don't know. I'm not used to wearing my pants to my waist," college student LaToya Williams said.
Another young person quickly tried to justify the look to local New York affiliate CBS 2 HD.
"My shirt's over it … it shows the nice belt interior," the boy boasted.
High school student Mikhail Josephs said the look is more than a fashion statement.
"When you sag your pants it can be either freedom of expression or rebellion," Josephs said.
Councilman Anthony Davis tells teenagers to pull it up every day, and soon he'll be introducing a proposal that would make walking around like this in Paterson subject to fine under the city's indecency law.
"We're tired of seeing your behind," Davis said. "We don't want to see your back side. We don't need to see your underwear. We don't need to see your drawers.
Wear your pants."
Some teens we spoke to were all for "baggin'" the sagging look.
"Sometimes you don't have the cleanest underwear on," Rayshon Johnson said.
"It's disgusting," Lohina Uddin said. "[I think they are revealing] a little too much."
"I don't allow it," one parent added.
But others fear a dress code in an urban area could lead to profiling by police and that government shouldn't be telling people what to wear.
"We should be able to dress the way we want," Antoin Davis proclaimed.
Some say freedom to wear what they want and how they want is a long time coming.
"When I was growing up my mom didn't like what I wore," one woman said.
Cities have had a difficult time pushing through the baggy pants pans. In Irvington, N.J., a councilwoman recently had to pull her proposal after facing legal questions.
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