Illinois town outlaws baggy pants

LYNWOOD, Ill., July 20 (UPI) -- The small Illinois town of Lynwood has passed an ordinance requiring people to cover their underwear in public, officials said.

The ordinance, aimed at ending the practice of wearing pants below the waist, states that people caught exposing 3 inches or more of their underwear will be fined $25, the Chicago Tribune reported Sunday.

Other towns have passed similar laws, including Flint, Mich., where offenders can be fined $500, the newspaper reported.

Lynwood Mayor Eugene Williams said the ordinance was passed to help encourage development in the town.

Jonathan Gammon, a barber, said he 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."

The American Civil Liberties Union has said baggy-pants bans target young minority males.