'Stop the Sag' campaign hits New York

Adams, an African American retired police captain elected to the New York state senate in 2006, took to the Internet last week with a YouTube video designed to discourage saggy pants. Today he's out with the second wave of his campaign, a billboard spread throughout Brooklyn, according to the New York Times.

The ''Stop the Sag'' billboards, paid for by Adams, reportedly show two men in jeans low enough to display their underwear.

"If we raise our pants, we raise our image," Adams argues in his related video message, where he advises young people "don't surrender control over your own image."

The video adds:

Throughout history, in every society cultures have had to endure negative caricatures and stereotypes imposed on them. Even in this country, images of ridicule portraying certain groups in a negative way have been forced on minorities, and it has taken activists and united communities to confront and reject these misrepresentations.

It is disturbing that today we still see similarly negative and degrading imagery, but this time it is self imposed. We see this insidious spectacle among some of our young people whenever they walk down the street with their pants sagging. This is not a fashion trend; it is un-kept and unnecessary. Sagging pants have become a degrading and self imposed icon.

They follow in a long tradition of negative stereotyping that results in groups being seen in a negative light. Particularly since the origin of this style comes from a prison culture. Our young people should not promote it.

The campaign follows the popularity of YouTube video featuring 2010 American Idol contestant Larry Platt singing a song called "Pants On The Ground," which has received more than 2.5 million hits as of this week.

Adams isn't trying to pass any new laws to criminalize sagging pants. He says he just wants young people to reject the stereotypes and start improving their image. ''You can raise your level of respect if you raise your pants," he says.