Author and civil rights activist Shaun King thinks a group of South Carolina Democrats have their priorities backwards after introducing a bill that would dole out punishments to individuals for wearing baggy pants.
House Bill 4957 would make it illegal for a person to expose their skin or underwear by wearing their pants "three inches below the crest of his ileum" —the top of the hips.
Violation fines equal just enough to buy that much needed belt: $25 for a first offense; $50 or three hours of community service for a second offense; and $75 or six hours of community service for a third or subsequent offense. (WLTX19)
Why are these politicians worried more about appearances than gun violence? he wondered.
South Carolina is about to pass a law banning sagging pants.
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) February 21, 2018
You and I know that this is all about criminalizing Blackness.
And these sorry ass politicians don't even attempt to protect us from gun violence but can find time to ban sagging pants. https://t.co/a3v5COZYfu
He became angrier when he realized some of the bill's primary co-sponsors are Democrats.
If you click the link, you will learn that the primary co-sponsors of this awful bill in South Carolina are....wait for it....
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) February 21, 2018
DEMOCRATS.
Shame on @TheDemocrats on the national level for being so damn disconnected that this foolishness gets by them. https://t.co/oUwNrq92Ra
The ACLU of Virginia has been retweeting social media users who claim the bill will give police an excuse to let police stop and harass black men. It is "racist, dangerous, and unconstitutional" some argue.
A representative from the ACLU of South Carolina, meanwhile, claims that the lawmakers are trying to divert attention from the more pressing issue of gerrymandering.
"This bill is a waste of taxpayers’ money and an attempt to sustain debtor’s prisons in South Carolina," ACLU of South Carolina Executive Director Shaundra Young Scott told the New York Daily News.