The act of wearing a hoodie in public could soon be illegal in Oklahoma under a bill proposed by Don Barrington, a Republican state senator.
根据共和党参议员唐·巴林顿提出的议案,在美国俄克拉荷马州公共场合穿着帽衫即将成为违法行为。
The bill, an
amendment2 to existing law, would make it illegal for people to "
intentionally3 conceal4" their identities "in a public place by means of a robe, mask, or other disguise," reports Oklahoma City NBC
affiliate5 KFOR-TV.
Violators of the existing law (and the proposed amendment) face misdemeanor charges. If found guilty, they face fines of up to $500 and up to a year in prison.
The problem is that the immediately preceding paragraph in the existing law, titled 21 OS 1301, makes it illegal for anyone "to wear a mask,
hood1 or covering, which
conceals6 the identity of the wearer during the commission of a crime" or for "
coercion7,
intimidation8 or
harassment9."
Civil rights advocates worry that the two clauses read together could give police the authority to arrest someone for wearing a simple
hooded10 sweatshirt.
"If somebody is out running, especially in this kind of weather, where it's cold,
drizzly11, you might be inclined to wear your hoodie at Lake Hefner," local attorney James Siderias told KFOR.
(Lake Hefner is a huge reservoir and major recreational destination inOklahoma City.)
"I think this is a
violation12 of an individual's right to choose what they want to wear as long as it doesn't violate the realm of public
decency13 and moral values, and I think this could be very problematic," the attorney added.
Barrington, the legislator who proposed the amendment, disagrees.
"The intent of Senate Bill 13 is to make businesses and public places safer by ensuring that people cannot conceal their identities for the purpose of crime or harassment," he told the NBC station.