Atlanta Councilmen: Down With Sagging Pants

Atlanta soon could be the latest city to outlaw sagging pants.

The City Council is set to consider the issue at its Monday meeting. Council members C.T. Martin, Ceasar Mitchell and Lamar Willis are proposing the new law, which would "make it illegal to expose one's undergarments in a public setting."

The measure would be included in an ordinance already on the books which bans simulated acts of intercourse and exposing or touching one's genitals or breasts.

If approved, anyone found in violation of the rule could be fined up to $100 and given eight hours of "work on the public streets of the city."

Proponents have called the issue "an epidemic" and "a major concern" as the issue has been debated nationwide and similar laws have been passed. Critics say the law unfairly targets African Americans.

(AP)

No sagging pants in Hawkinsville

The middle Georgia city of Hawkinsville says no to sagging pants. City officials unanimously passed the indecent exposure ordinance. The new law states that it is "unlawful for any person to appear in public wearing pants or shorts below the waist, which expose the skin or undergarments".

Violators will be subject to a 250-dollar fine and community service. Other Georgia cities have considered similar laws, but the small city of Hawkinsville is the first to actually pass such an ordinance.

When Atlanta officials discussed such a law, the American Civil Liberties Union said it targeted African-Americans and could be viewed as racial profiling.

Sagging pants under fire in Atlanta

Today Atlanta’s Public Safety Committee takes up a proposal to outlaw sagging pants. The amendment to the city’s indecency laws is sponsored by City Councilman C.T. Martin. It would ban sagging pants that reveal underwear and bar women from showing the strap of a thong beneath their pants. A violator would be fined. Opponents say enforcing a dress code wouldn’t stand up to a legal challenge.