January 12, 2015
Current Events
At least that’s the hope of Republican state senator Don Barrington, who wants to amend an existing law to target young black men ban hoodies forever.
Currently, Oklahoma law states that it is illegal for anyone to wear a hood or similar head covering while committing a crime. The law was enacted in the 1920s as a means to prevent violence perpetrated by the hood wearing Ku Klux Klan. Now, Barrington and his GOP cronies are proposing to ban any individual from concealing “his or her identity in a public place by means of a robe, mask, or other disguise” even if he or she were not involved in a crime. This would include wearing a hoodie in cold weather or any other reason. Violation of the proposed law would constitute a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500.
The bill’s language has included exemptions for religious garments, weather protection, safety or medical purposes, parades, Halloween celebrations, masquerade parties, “minstrel troupes,” circuses, sporting groups, mascots or “other amusements or dramatic shows.” So basically, the law is meant to target young African-American males who frequently wear hoodies as a fashion statement, similar to the one Trayvon Martin wore when he was hunted down and shot by George Zimmerman in Florida.
A multitude of Oklahoma residents have already come forward to express concern over such a broad reaching law.
Current Events
“I think this is a violation of an individual’s right to chose what they want to wear as long as it doesn’t violate the realm of public decency and moral values, and I think this could be very problematic,” Oklahoma City attorney James Siderias said.
“They might have personal issues for keeping them on; they might have a bad hair day or maybe they have cancer or they’re losing their hair. You just don’t know why,” Tracy Wehagen said.
Still, Sen. Barrington has turned a deaf ear to the opposition, claiming that the goal is simply to deter crime.
“The intent of Senate Bill 13 is to make businesses and public places safer by ensuring that people cannot conceal their identities for the purpose of crime or harassment. … Similar language has been in Oklahoma statutes for decades and numerous other states have similar laws in place,” Barrington said. “Oklahoma businesses want state leaders to be responsive to their safety concerns, and this is one way we can provide protection.”
If Barrington really only wanted his proposed law to deter crime, then the language of the existing law is already good enough. However, it’s crystal clear that his intentions far exceed crime prevention and is a direct aim at African-American youth culture.
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If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the picture of No Hoodies Allowed speaks volumes. They chose not to use an ambiguos picture that could be anyone wearing a hoodie or just a plain old hoodie by itself with the "Do Not" symbol. The picture itself very suggestive of young hip hop fashion as worn primarily by African American youth. It's amazing how in light of all the current atrocities elected official are unwilling to change.