Oklahoma Lawmakers Propose Ban on Wearing Hoodies in Public
If an Oklahoma lawmaker has his way, it will be illegal to wear hoodies in public with the intention to conceal their identity, which just so happens to be an unfortunately unavoidable side effect of wearing a hoodie.
According to the proposed amendment from Senator Don Barrington, it will be illegal to “intentionally conceal his or her identity in a public place by means of a robe, mask, or other disguise.” People who violate this law would be subject to a fine of up to $500, or up to a year in prison.
The law does makes exemptions for people wearing hoodies for religious purposes, Halloween, medical purposes, or “protection from the weather,” there’s really no way to determine why someone is wearing a hoodie until long after they’ve been harassed.
While a law already exists forbidding people from wearing hoods while committing a crime — it was created in the 1920’s to combat Ku Klux Klan members who wore hoods while doing their awful Klan activities — the proposed amendment could take it too far, say detractors.
“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,” attorney James Siderias told KFOR.
Not to mention the potential inflammation of racial tensions between police and African-American communities. Or the part where people can’t wear masks during protests to hide their identities. Or even the part where you can’t play pranks. Did we forget that part?
[h/t ThinkProgress]
[Image via shutterstock]
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