One Louisiana town is trying to ban pajamas in public...
Commissioner Michael Williams said an incident at a local Walmart in which he and others were offended by a customer clad in pajamas was the spark for his proposal to ban them in public.
There are tons of other pants you can wear! Here are some examples: jeans, khakis, corduroys, dress slacks, overalls, coveralls, yes – even sweat pants are more acceptable to pajamas, though they are not preferred as a substitute. You have options, my sisters and brothers of Earth...
One problem with a prohibition on wearing jammies in public is defining what constitutes pajamas, Williams acknowledges.
Khiry Tisdem of Shreveport has no problem going out in his "Family Guy" Stewie pajama pants.
"I wear my (pajama) pants anywhere," Tisdem said. "I'm an American, and I can wear my clothes anywhere I want. I'm a grown man. I pay my own bills, so I can wear my clothes the way I want."
Williams said the Walmart incident was jarring.
"I saw a group of young men wearing pajama pants and house shoes," he said. Williams said the genitals of at least one man were showing through the pajama fabric and elderly women nearby were offended.
Tracy Carter, also of Shreveport, was out shopping Thursday clad in her Valentine's Day fuzzy pajama pants. Her 3-year-old son, Aaron, was in dinosaur pajamas.
"We all wear our pajamas out," Carter said. "I can get out of the bed and go to the store, and they're covering everything. I've got a 3-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old to deal with."
The pajamas flap may end up being moot.
"It's going to be very difficult to enforce the way it's described, although I've not seen anything in writing," Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator said.
On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana sent a letter to Williams objecting to any ordinance limiting pajamas. The ACLU argued a ban on PJs would violate the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
The ACLU letter said Caddo has "no legitimate rational basis for regulating the attire of its residents."
Like many areas, the city of Shreveport has a no-saggy-pants law. In 2011, Shreveport police reported 31 incidents involving "wearing of pants below the waist in public."
Caddo Parish Attorney Charles Grubb said adopting a parishwide ordinance similar to that in Shreveport is a possibility. Prator said he has not known pajama pants to be a problem.
"Pajamas are designed to be worn in the bedroom at night," Williams said. "If you can't (wear pajamas) at the Boardwalk or courthouse, why are you going to do it in a restaurant or in public? Today it's pajamas, tomorrow it's underwear. Where does it stop?"
Williams plans to poll his fellow commissioners in February and may introduce an ordinance.
Source: Nola.com
Commissioner Michael Williams said an incident at a local Walmart in which he and others were offended by a customer clad in pajamas was the spark for his proposal to ban them in public.
There are tons of other pants you can wear! Here are some examples: jeans, khakis, corduroys, dress slacks, overalls, coveralls, yes – even sweat pants are more acceptable to pajamas, though they are not preferred as a substitute. You have options, my sisters and brothers of Earth...
One problem with a prohibition on wearing jammies in public is defining what constitutes pajamas, Williams acknowledges.
Khiry Tisdem of Shreveport has no problem going out in his "Family Guy" Stewie pajama pants.
"I wear my (pajama) pants anywhere," Tisdem said. "I'm an American, and I can wear my clothes anywhere I want. I'm a grown man. I pay my own bills, so I can wear my clothes the way I want."
Williams said the Walmart incident was jarring.
"I saw a group of young men wearing pajama pants and house shoes," he said. Williams said the genitals of at least one man were showing through the pajama fabric and elderly women nearby were offended.
Tracy Carter, also of Shreveport, was out shopping Thursday clad in her Valentine's Day fuzzy pajama pants. Her 3-year-old son, Aaron, was in dinosaur pajamas.
"We all wear our pajamas out," Carter said. "I can get out of the bed and go to the store, and they're covering everything. I've got a 3-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old to deal with."
The pajamas flap may end up being moot.
"It's going to be very difficult to enforce the way it's described, although I've not seen anything in writing," Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator said.
On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana sent a letter to Williams objecting to any ordinance limiting pajamas. The ACLU argued a ban on PJs would violate the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
The ACLU letter said Caddo has "no legitimate rational basis for regulating the attire of its residents."
Like many areas, the city of Shreveport has a no-saggy-pants law. In 2011, Shreveport police reported 31 incidents involving "wearing of pants below the waist in public."
Caddo Parish Attorney Charles Grubb said adopting a parishwide ordinance similar to that in Shreveport is a possibility. Prator said he has not known pajama pants to be a problem.
"Pajamas are designed to be worn in the bedroom at night," Williams said. "If you can't (wear pajamas) at the Boardwalk or courthouse, why are you going to do it in a restaurant or in public? Today it's pajamas, tomorrow it's underwear. Where does it stop?"
Williams plans to poll his fellow commissioners in February and may introduce an ordinance.
Source: Nola.com
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