IL- In Lynwood, baggy fashion butts up against commerce

7-20-2008 Illinois:

South suburb's officials say a law limiting underwear exposure will draw investors, but some think the rule is racist

If Lynwood's economy is surviving by the seat of its pants, the town at least wants its bottoms properly covered.

The leaders of the small south suburb, with their eyes on attracting development to Lynwood, last week passed an ordinance stating that people caught exposing 3 inches or more of their underwear will be fined $25—the first Chicago-area town to crack down on low-slung pants.

Since the first sullen cave-teen glared at his father over not being able to use the wheel, young people have been finding new ways to irritate the adults in their lives. In recent years, for some, it's meant lowering their pants and exposing all manner of boxer shorts in public.

The adults are fighting back. Towns across the country have banned pants that hang below the waist, with the price of immodesty ranging greatly. This week, it was the talk of the town in Riviera Beach, Fla., where the fine is $150, and in Flint, Mich., where offenders can be fined $500 and face time in the slammer.

Lynwood Mayor Eugene Williams says he cannot attract major retailers when young men are parading around half-dressed.

Jonathan Gammon knows all about the sagging pants of Lynwood. He sees teens pass his barbershop with jeans so low he wonders how they walk without tripping.

He knows they're not bad kids, because he cuts their hair. They're just copying the style they see in Chicago and in rap-music videos, he figures. Gammon was relieved to hear his town banned low-hanging pants.

"I don't want to see their drawers, personally," he said. "It probably would scare people from out of town."

But some argue the law goes too far in mandating fashion choices, and the American Civil Liberties Union charged the ordinance targets young men of color.

In fact the fashion statement has echoed across racial lines. James Pinkerton, 15, who is white and was shopping at Orland Square Mall on Friday with his great-uncle Bob, 53, scoffed at government attempts to censor appearance.

"I don't think they should be focused on that," said the teen, dressed in black baggy shorts with hanging pocket chains. "I think they should be focusing on more important things."

His uncle, however, supported Lynwood's initiative, and admitted to keeping tabs on the pant sizes his nephew sought to wear.

"I always take him out to buy pants and he says, 'They fit me,' and I say, 'Let me see your waist,' " he said.

Experts note that pushing boundaries is natural for teens searching for their own identities. But they say today's youths are not the rebellious, long-haired hippies of the past. Teenagers today are used to special rules: limits on the hours they can drive without supervision; where they can talk on cell phones; or even on their visits to tanning salons or malls.

"Today's teenagers are . . . fairly comfortable with the rules and guidelines that society has put into place, as long as they get to color in between the lines as they see fit," said Michael Wood, vice president of TRU, a Northbrook-based research firm specializing in young adults. "We find it very interesting when adults feel threatened by what they see demonstrated by young people. Oftentimes, we have to remind them that you can't judge what's on the inside based on what they're wearing on the outside."

In Lynwood, a town of about 8,000 30 miles south of Chicago, officials felt the ordinance was needed to prove to outsiders it is a place worth investing in. The mayor says he received more positive reactions than negative to the ordinance, especially in the African-American community. He's even talked with other south suburban leaders about adopting the law in their towns.

"I know I'm going out on a limb by doing this," he said. "It's a hot topic right now—everyone wants to talk about it, but I really hope it does some good."

Even some youngsters in Lynwood agree with the ban. While Chris Sowell, 10, was getting his hair cut at JC's Barber Shop on Friday, the men seated around him discussed the ban. Chris knows better than to walk around his house with sagging pants.

"You might think you're a gangster trying to be like the people in Chicago," he said. "I know I'll get in trouble with my mom."

Others would welcome a ban. Outside Orland Square, Marcelino Rosas, 17, lifted up his oversize T-shirt to reveal baggy pants firmly belted above his drawers.

"I think it's offensive," he said of bared underwear. "I don't like it. It's so ridiculous."

But Joe Klomes, 21, who sported half-inch holes in his ears to accommodate oversize earrings and pointed to his body modification as his freedom of choice, said: "I don't really know if they have a right to infringe on somebody's personal style. . . . If they want to clean up their image, they should spend money to fix up the streets, parks, planting trees, making it nicer that way.

"If you're going to be shallow enough to go after clothing, I don't know. It seems a little bit racist."

ACLU spokesman Edwin Yohnka agreed, saying he's interested to see how evenly the ordinance will be applied.

"One of our concerns is that we know who wears baggy pants; it appears these are efforts to have more police interaction with young men of color," he said. "Let's see if they start pulling over plumbers for their pants." ..News Source.. by Emma Graves Fitzsimmons and Erika Slife | Chicago Tribune reporters