I write to denounce the mayor’s comments in the article in last week’s Review titled, “Calderone, Harris offer visions for Forest Park” [March 11]. I thought that this “saggy pants” nonsense had been put to rest, but the Mayor seemed to double down. When he says that “our country is losing some basic humanity,” the clear implication is that it is people in a “subculture” represented by saggy pants who are causing the loss.
In other words, wearing your pants a certain way is somehow indicative that you may be less than fully human. And who is in this subculture? Apparently, it is people who moved to Forest Park from the “inner ring of the city.” The thin cloak of euphemism cannot obscure the ugliness of the mayor’s message.
I hope he will reflect on these views for his own sake. But more importantly, I hope current and prospective residents of Forest Park know that, regardless of what happens in April, there are many welcoming people here who completely disagree with the mayor’s view.
Scott Metzger
Forest Park
