Riviera Beach, Florida (The Weekly Vice) -- Having solved all violent Florida crime, Riviera Beach police devote their "underfunded" resources to tackling serious threats to society. Like baggy pants.
Kenneth Smith, a 29-year-old Riviera Beach, Florida man was arrested Tuesday for wearing baggy pants. A violation of Riviera Beach city ordinance which was approved by voters in March of this year.
According to the Riviera Beach Police Department, detectives were investigating a report of an unknown black male who was allegedly selling drugs from a parked Chevy Impala. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a Chevy Impala parked along the roadway, with Smith allegedly next to the vehicle, talking to the driver from the roadway.
Officers say they also noted that Smith was wearing a pair of shorts and no shirt, and that the shorts "were so low that it exposed his blue and white boxer shorts approximately two inches below his waist." The vehicle and Smith were also impeding the normal flow of traffic, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Investigators say Smith then became extremely loud and uncooperative, shouting at officers so loud that he was "breaching the peace."
Now however, Smith's mother is defending her son and says she has proof that Smith's pants were not as baggy as police say and that Smith was in front of his own house when he was accused of blocking the roadway. That proof comes in the form of a video Ms. Smith shot during her son's arrest, which shows Smith talking with officers, wearing a belt.
Riviera Beach police cited the driver of the vehicle for obstructing the roadway, but decided those baggy pants merited a trip to jail.
Kenneth Smith was charged with Exposure Of Under Garments and Disorderly Conduct. He was then booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
A first offense for violating the baggy pants law may be punishable with a $150 find, however repeat offenders face up to 60 days in jail.
The Weekly Vice Opinion:
Leave it up to Florida to produce the silliest, craziest and in most cases the dumbest crime stories in the country.
Don't get me wrong. Baggy pants, oversized shirts and ball caps that point sideways never have really impressed me much. But one sure fire way to give this pop culture trend a completely new lease on life is to criminalize it.
From the video, I'd have to agree that the level of his shorts doesn't really come anything near what the ordinance was aimed to stop I suspect. Pants so low that you can begin to see buttocks and groin areas. But leave it up to authorities in Florida to stir up a controversy over small things, while much bigger problems (like teachers raping students on a daily basis) go undaunted.
Danny Vice
The Weekly Vice
http://www.theweeklyvice.com
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8 comments:
This website is like a "dumb criminals" site on steroids.
While I'm not surprised we have so many wackos running around, it's interesting to see how many of them are arrested day in and day out.
whatever the people int he town voted it as a law. and this dumb ueducated prick probably wasnt there for the voting. so suck it up. its a law now. abide by it or suffer.
danny you said todays pop culture. this guy is 29. its time for him to grow up and stop letting pop culture influence him.
he probably walks around pants down talking like an uneducated person. probably sells or does drugs. and i can profile. and its not because of race. you dress like a doctor ill think youre a doctor. dress like a thug ill think youre a thug.
if its a law then its a law. i think police should be geared towards stopping child molesters rather than this, but hey what can you do. amylynn your comment was ignorant you would be one of the coeds that got killed by ted bundy. because he looked like a nice guy.
Why do people always criticize someone who does something different? Is it really any of your concern that someone wants to wear a hat sideways or baggy pants?If so get a life.We waste some much time and money on stupid people trying to make people act one way or another and whose way is right?yours? mine? No just mind your own business,and keep your opinions about stuff that has absoulutely no concern to you,to yourself.
mike just cause someone looks like a nice guy doesnt mean ill try to make friends with him.
this is the way life works.
this kenneth smith could go to college to be a lawyer. and dress however he wants but when the day comes for a job interview, if he shows up wearing baggy pants and his hat turned side ways he wont get the job. suit and tie. its just the way it is. you cant fight it. this guy should learn. besides no one wants to see his underware. they shouldnt be subjected to seeing his undergarments or bum cause he doesnt buy clothes that fit right. you guys im only a young person. i wont say kid. but im 19 and i dont even like to see this shit. its ridiculous.
"he probably walks around pants down talking like an uneducated person. probably sells or does drugs. and i can profile. and its not because of race. you dress like a doctor ill think youre a doctor. dress like a thug ill think youre a thug."
This is ignorance. What exactly does a thug dress like? Baggy pants constitutes being a thug? Who wants to wear jeans that cut off your circulation? Just because pants are baggy doesn't mean you can't look neat. I wear loose fitting clothes because it's comfy but I also carry myself well in them. But if your using style of dress to constitute a thug then you need to wake up.
"he probably walks around pants down talking like an uneducated person. probably sells or does drugs. and i can profile. and its not because of race. you dress like a doctor ill think youre a doctor. dress like a thug ill think youre a thug."
This is ignorance. What exactly is the dress of a thug. Since when did dressing like a thug mean wearing baggy pants? How does a doctor dress?
I wear lose fitting clothes because they are comfy. I also carry myself well in them. This is so stupid, the way this country allocates resources.
And then people wonder how could the US have a deficit so large... When you have 1% of population in jail, and many for causes like these, the wonder rapidly disappears.
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