‘Saggin’ ordinance drags on

By Chris Sykes, Staff Writer
East Ward Councilwoman Lisa Perkins again pulled her proposed ordinance to ban the wearing of “saggin’” pants and jeans from the agenda of the last City Council meeting.
That move was somewhat of a surprise to some residents, since Perkins had worked to return it to the agenda for the meeting after it had been tabled for multiple sessions. Perkins said she originally moved it from the agenda to address the concerns of some residents about the need for a law to deal with a fashion trend.
“I pulled it because the language was kind of vague and I wanted to re-word it to make it clearer. The fact is that, today, blue jeans and other pants are being made in the so-called ‘low rider‘ style, where they are specifically designed to ride low on the hips, revealing much of the lower back,” said Perkins. “It’s not the baggy pants that we want to abolish, it’s the mindset and behavior that says it is OK to wear them hanging off your body in ways that they were, hopefully, not intended to be worn.”
Perkins said she also pulled the proposed piece of legislation because she wanted to make it more accessible to police and law enforcement. In the past, officers such as Police Director John Rappaport had said that making it illegal would place a burden on his officers.
“I want it to be a secondary offense that can be added on to other more serious charges. This way, it will specifically target the criminal element that I am concerned about,” said Perkins. “I’m not trying to penalize good, law-abiding citizens. I don’t want it to be a primary offense where a person can get a criminal record just for wearing their pants in an inappropriate way.”
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