Flint, MI & Their Bizarre Set of Priorities

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Give me a break. Flint, Michigan the perennial armpit of the mitten state has gone into full gear regarding their new and improved “pant sagging” laws which subsequently make “sagging ones pants” a criminal offense. This strikes me as somewhat odd in the whole priority make up of Flint, who behind Detroit, and St. Louis has been named the third most dangerous city in America. Clearly those making the laws in Flint find it more important to curb saggy pants, opposed to incidents such as homicide, assault and battery, etc.

But hey with Michigan suffering like none other, this arbitrary ordinance will surely bring in some much needed funding via court fees, fines and so on – however that still doesn’t make it right. I have said that it will be a matter of time before this gets overturned in some court, and rightfully so – it directly conflicts with ones first amendment right.

It would be one thing if someone was not wearing underwear and was sagging their pants, however if there is no skin being showed this new law violates ones “freedom of expression”, whether you like it or not.

That doesn’t phase the boys in blue in Flint though, they mean business, and they aren’t afraid to let it be known that “saggy pants” will not be tolerated in Flint:

“Some people call it a fad,” Dicks told the Free Press this week while patrolling the streets of Flint. “But I believe it’s a national nuisance. It is indecent and thus it is indecent exposure, which has been on the books for years.”

On June 27, the chief issued a departmental memorandum telling officers: “This immoral self expression goes beyond freedom of expression.”

The crime, he says, is disorderly conduct or indecent exposure, both misdemeanors punishable by 93 days to a year in jail and/or fines up to $500.

Dicks, 41, broke down his interpretation of the laws as such: Pants pulled completely below the buttocks with underwear showing is disorderly conduct; saggy pants with skin of the buttocks showing is indecent exposure, and saggy pants, not completely below the buttocks, with underwear exposed results in a warning.

The American Civil Liberties Union is already scrutinizing the enforcement, something Dicks fully expected. But he said he’s not backing down until the pants stop falling down.

Good god if this isn’t a contrived effort to take the focus of the real problem (Flint being the third most dangerous city) I don’t know what would be. I have an idea, how about the hard asses in Flint, you know the ones talking so tough on saggy pants, shift their focus onto REAL criminals, and work on getting them off the streets.

What’s on my agenda this weekend? I don’t know, I might head out to Flint, bust a “sag” and take in everything the amazing city has to offer.

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