The Delcambre Board of Aldermen outlawed indecent exposure in the form of sagging pants Monday, but not before several residents voiced their objections.

The board voted unanimously to make it illegal for anyone to wear clothing that exposes them or reveals their underwear in public.

About a dozen residents spoke out against the ordinance at a public hearing prior to the board’s regular meeting, arguing it was racially motivated and indistinguishable from the state obscenity law.

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“Indecent exposure is already on the books,” said Delcambre resident Sylvester Harris. “We shouldn’t be here trying to make another law when we got one already.”

Town attorney Ted Ayo said the ordinance expands upon the obscenity law by adding underwear to the list of body parts that cannot be exposed.

“This is a new ordinance that deals specifically with sagging pants,” Ayo said. “It’s about showing off your underwear in public.”

Harris and several others said the ordinance unfairly targets black residents.

“It’s just going to be harassment,” said Delcambre resident Adam George. “People that don’t like me are going to call and complain on me and say I’ve got saggy pants. I’m going to have to pay to bond out, even if I’m right.”

Delcambre Mayor Carol Broussard said the ordinance would apply to all residents, regardless of race.

“I have nothing against the black man,” he said.

The ordinance states, “It shall be unlawful for any person in any public place or in view of the public to be found in a state of nudity, or partial nudity, or in dress not becoming to his or her sex, or in any indecent exposure of his or her person or undergarments, or be guilty of any indecent or lewd behavior.”

It is punishable by up to a $500 fine or up to six months in jail, or both.

Delcambre Police Chief James Broussard said violators can be arrested if officers spot them while on patrol, or if another resident files a complaint.

But he said the resident must be willing to swear they witnessed the offense before charges can be pursued.

“They’re going to have to sign an affidavit,” he said.

Several residents discussed their frustrations with the ordinance with Broussard following the public hearing.

Broussard said he didn’t have a problem with George’s pants, which hung below his waist, but were concealed by a long T-shirt.

“It’s not like I’m showing my privates or anything like that,” George said. “It’s my boxers.”

The ordinance will go into effect once it is published in The Daily Iberian, the official journal of the town, a process that usually takes about 10 days.