Don't let pants sag, signs urge

October 24, 2007 - Cynthia Neff, Star-Telegram staff writer

DALLAS -- If you like to wear saggy pants in Dallas, then here's a message for you: "Don't Be Lame, Elevate Your Game. Pullem' Up!"

That suggestion, with a sketch of a man whose jeans are sagging so low you can see the happy faces on his boxers, is on some of 17 billboards urging Dallasites to pull up their pants.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway has worked to push the issue into the spotlight since he was elected in May. The City Council has not taken action on the issue.

But a group called Hip Hop Government designed a billboard campaign. Clear Channel Outdoor donated the billboards around downtown, southeast Dallas and parts of southwest Dallas, said Scott Sieck, the company's public affairs director. The billboards will be unveiled at a news conference today at City Hall.

"We represent the citizens, and the citizens were having a problem looking at people with dirty underwear," Caraway said. "Now we've found it doesn't take an ordinance nor does it take a resolution, because they're now seeing for themselves the need to respect themselves and a respect for society."

Billboards can already been seen at Interstate 45 and Lamar Street and at R.L. Thornton Freeway and Illinois Avenue.

Hip Hop Government would also like to get billboards into other areas, including Fort Worth, Sieck said.

How to get involved

Check out www.hiphopgovernment.org for contact information or to buy a T-shirt with the slogan.

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