Texas councilman tells teens to hoist saggy pants

[November 10, 2008]  DALLAS (AP) -- Dallas Councilman Dwaine Caraway is on a mission: He wants those wearing low-hanging, baggy pants to pull them up.

As part of his ongoing campaign against saggy, underwear-exposing pants, the mayor pro tem held a summit Saturday. More than 100 adults, children, students, ministers, law enforcement officers and representatives from local organizations attended the hours-long derriere affair.

Local youth counselor Calvin Glover even brought a contingent of saggy-bottom teens. The group piled into two elevators and made its way to the council chamber. Saggy britches, big belt buckles and untucked T-shirts were in abundance.

Glover, a 29-year-old former sagger who still admits to an occasional offense, said kids today have taken the trend too far, exposing too much of their backsides.

"Come on, man," he said disgustedly. "I don't want to see your dirty boxers that you've had on for two or three days. I mean, really."

Most listened. Others seemed still groggy from the early morning wake-up.

Looking at a toddler sitting on one woman's lap, Caraway said the baby girl had a right not to see dirty boxers. So does the elderly woman at the grocery store, he said.

Caraway told the crowd they wouldn't want someone to show up to their house for a date if their pants were sagging. It would be disrespectful, he said.

Outside the chambers, 16-year-old Ernesto Arias seemed undaunted. He would still wear his pants low -- maybe even lower, he said.

"It's just a style. It looks good like that," he said.

Back inside the chamber, Caraway allowed that it was OK to sag sometimes. "You can do anything, but do it appropriately," he said.

"I know I'm preaching, but even if we reach one, that's good enough," Caraway said.

[Associated Press; By ANDRE COE]

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