A proposal to hold a Baltimore City Council hearing to discuss baggy pants that fall beneath the waist is sagging under criticism.
In an e-mail to the bill?s sponsor, Councilman Jack Young, criminologist and former FBI agent Tyrone Powers criticized the proposed hearing as “counterproductive.”
“In a city where the media is quick to demonize black people for any and every reason, I am concerned that the message that baggy pants equals gang involvement and criminal activity is counterproductive,” Powers said.
Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, president of the Baltimore NAACP, agreed with Powers, arguing the hearing may unfairly single out black teenagers.
“We don?t need to find another reason for folks to come down on those kids,” he said.
But Young, D-12th District, said the practice of wearing pants below the belt was hurting the job prospects of city youth.
“What they fail to realize, it?s just a hearing to have some dialogue with our youth and to let them really know it affects them,” he said.
Young also said people from all races wear baggy pants.
“We just want them to understand you have to look presentable, or you get knocked out of the box with jobs,” Young said.
