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Sagging pants are an
issue that is worthy of
attention, says Dallas
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem
Dwaine Caraway and
others who are speaking
out on what they deem to
be an issue of decency.
Men, walking around
with their pants hanging so
low that they are exposing
their undergarments is a
behavior the freshman
councilman said is not
acceptable. There was
even talk of fining
offenders.
Although efforts to cite
violators met with resistance
and allegations of
profiling or harassment,
Dallas now joins Atlanta
(GA) and Shreveport (LA)
in calling for an end to
overexposure.
Calling the issue “controversial,”
Caraway, who
was joined by fellow
councilmembers Sheffie
Kadane, Tennell Atkins,
Steve Salazar and Jerry
Allen, said he had a right
to teach and nurture young
men. “We need to tell
them what it takes to be
successful in society,” he
said. “There has to be
someone who will stand
up out of decency and say
it’s not okay to show your
underwear to the public.”
Mr. Caraway wants to
make it clear that there is a
difference between
bagging and sagging.
Bagging is when the
clothes may be a little too
big, whereas sagging is
when the clothes are intentionally
big and the pants
hang down exposing the
underwear of the person—
those underwear usually
being boxers.
Atlanta City Councilman
C.T. Martin joined Councilman Caraway at a
press conference last week.
Referencing actor/ comedian
Bill Cosby’s remarks
regarding the way youth
dress today, Martin said his
efforts are “about taking a
stand.”
Cosby’s comments caused
an uproar that led to public
meetings across the country
discussing responsibility and
how to deal with Black youth
who were not projecting
positive images and the
parents who were not
accepting responsibility and
making sure their children
were acting and dressing
appropriately.
“We are looking for a
remedy,” said Martin. “We
are not attacking young
people. We love them…It’s a
distraction and I believe if we
reach out, we are going to
make a change.”
Dallas Mayor Tom
Leppert applauded his
colleague for “raising the
issue” which addresses
engaging young people “so
they will be successful in
life.”
“There’s a lot of support
on the City Council,” said
Mayor Leppert, as he also
mentioned the no snitch
shirts that encourage
witnesses to a crime to avoid
reporting information to
police.
Regulating dress does
bring criticism. Just ask Paul
Quinn College President
Michael Sorrell, who instituted
a dress code at Dallas’
only HBCU.
“We received a tremendous
about of criticism,” said
Sorrell, who was accompanied
at the press conference
by two male students, Darren
Eason and Branden Clay.
Sorrell also pointed out
that it is less expensive to
dress business casual than it
is to wear some of the
designer labels many college
students wear and students
have to be taught what attire
is acceptable.
“We are teaching them the
skills to be successful. They
must conform to the norms of
society. This is about a
community saying,
‘enough!’”
It was DISD trustee Ron
Price who began a crusade
calling for young men to pull
their pants up and put on a
belt. He said he took three
senior citizens to the popular
restaurant, Sweet Georgia
Brown. As they were leaving
the restaurant, they came
across three young men with
their pants hanging, exposing
their underwear. That was
enough, said Price, who
came before the City Council
but nothing came of his pleas
for decency.
Caraway, who was
gearing up for another run at
a city council seat, told Price
that when he was victorious
they would pick up the issue
again.
“This is not about race
(referring to complaints that
African American young
men were targets),” he said.
“It’s about decency in our
society.”
Also supporting the effort
was State Rep. Barbara
Mallory Caraway.
We need to send a
message of how important it
is to have pride,” she said,
also acknowledging that
youth “need to understand
the potential problems that
behavior (sagging pants)
causes.
Ms. Caraway said she is
looking forward to partnering
with anyone “who wants to
make our society better.”
According to Councilman
Atkins when he asked his son
why he wanted to wear his
pants sagging, he said, “peer
pressure.”
But Atkins had a remedy
for that forever present peer
pressure.
“I told my 13-year-old
‘pull up your pants,’ then I
took out my belt and
whipped his butt.”
Some say that a butt
whipping is just the remedy
that should be taken into consideration.
In other words,
parents need to start dealing
with the problem at home.
But when the home fails,
that’s when others step in and
offer solutions, just as was
the case when the City instituted
a curfew. While a law
does not seem likely right
now, the awareness and conversation
might have an
impact.
“These little boys are
going to pull their pants up
over their butts and put a belt
on,” said Caraway.
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