Should sagging pants get you kicked off a flight? Arrested? Jailed?

This is what 20 year-old University of New Mexico student Deshon Marman faced when he was taken off of a US Airways flight, arrested, shackled, and jailed after airline staff confronted him about his sagging pants. Marman, a San Francisco resident, had returned to California to attend his best friend’s funeral.1

However you feel about sagging pants, it’s clear that US Airways’ response to Marman’s clothing was inappropriate and discriminatory. Prosecutors have decided not to file charges against Marman — but leadership at US Airways is still defending the way their employees treated him.2

If US Airways gets away with this, it sets a dangerous precedent — we can’t let it become acceptable for corporations to target and criminalize young Black men because of their appearance. Please join us in demanding that US Airways apologize to Deshon and his family and explain steps the company will take to ensure that nothing like this happens again. Just click the link below:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/usairways

When Marman was asked to pull up his pants by a US Airways ticket agent, he said he would comply once he reached his seat. Instead of that being the end of the discussion, the US Airways captain had him arrested and taken to jail.3

After Marman was in his seat (and had pulled up his pants), he was confronted by the pilot and police officers.  Marman said, “I’m just like everybody else on this plane,” to which the US Airways pilot responded, “No, you’re not.”4 Then, Marman was asked to leave the plane.  He initially refused, but agreed to leave after being told that his ticket would be refunded.

Marman says that he wasn’t told he was under arrest, and that no one read him his rights, but while he was on his way off the plane, officers grabbed his arms and handcuffed him. Marman was arrested on suspicion of a felony count of battery of a police officer and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and trespassing — charges that were not pursued, because the local District Attorney’s office determined that criminal charges weren’t warranted.5

A clear double-standard

Sagging is a cultural trend that many have strong feelings about both inside and outside of Black circles. But we should all be able to agree that the way US Airways treated Marman was unacceptable.

US Airways admittedly does not have a dress code for their passengers and has frequently allowed an older white male passenger to fly in women’s underwear — without outer garments — as recently as a week prior to Deshon’s arrest.6

The double standard faced by Deshon is connected to a larger problem Black youth face with a legal system that punishes and criminalizes them at higher rates, even when there is no difference in behavior.7 We cannot allow businesses like US Airways to follow the trend. We must hold them to a standard of conduct that does not discriminate, condone double standards or violate anyone’s civil rights.

Unfortunately, US Airways has refused to respond to the charges of discrimination from Deshon’s family and the San Francisco NAACP, who have asked for an apology.8 The company still has not refunded Marman’s ticket, and they are standing by the behavior of their staff, calling it “professional.”9

Please join us in demanding that US Airways apologize and explain the steps they will take to ensure that what happened to Deshon will not happen again. When you do, please tell your friends and family to do the same.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/usairways

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha, and the rest of the ColorOfchange.org team
   July 18th, 2011

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References:

1. “Exclusive: Student talks about saggy pants arrest,” KGO-TV, 06-18-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/897?akid=2066.1174326.XeJDIG&t=7

2. “Prosecutors won’t file charges against man arrested with saggy pants at San Francisco airport,” Washington Post, 07-13-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/904?akid=2066.1174326.XeJDIG&t=9

3. See reference 1.

4. “Deshon Marman on US Airways flight 488,” Youtube via SF Chronicle, 06-17-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/898?akid=2066.1174326.XeJDIG&t=11

5. See reference 2.

6. “Man flies US Airways in women’s underwear,” SF Gate, 06-21-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/899?akid=2066.1174326.XeJDIG&t=13

7. “Marijuana Arrests in NYC,” Drug Policy Alliance, 4-1-11

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/841?akid=2066.1174326.XeJDIG&t=15

8. “NAACP leader sees racism in sagging-pants saga,” SF Gate, 06-25-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/900?akid=2066.1174326.XeJDIG&t=17

9. Deshon Marman to sue US Airways after saggy pants arrest,” The Examiner, 07-13-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/905?akid=2066.1174326.XeJDIG&t=19