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The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has inspired many more challenges for different causes, with similar results–raising awareness and involving the community. The latest challenge is the “Pull Your Damn Pants Up Challenge” that is said to be “basically pointing to help the Black men, which encourages avoiding racial profiling by improving their appearance.”

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The video that is going viral features a marine, Malik S. King, who says:

“In our communities, we talk about racial profiling, about how the cops are targeting young Black men. But what we don’t want to focus on is what we’re doing to contribute to the problem. We need to start thinking about how we’re representing ourselves–how we talk, how we act and how we deal with police. We need to stop talking, acting and living like thugs. We need to start talking, acting and living like men. Start making a conscious decision to ‘fit’ the description.”

King was invited to chat with CNN commentator, Marc Lamont Hill and The Blaze’s Tara Setmayer’s about the new challenge and it turned into a fiery debate between Hill and Setmayer on CNN over the world urging Black men to pull up their pants. Hill said, “It suggests that somehow there’s a connection between Black male profiling and our pants being sagging,”  Before Black people pulled their pants down, they were still being locked up.” Hill continued, “If we continue to tell young Black men that they can behave or dress or otherwise demonstrate their way out of police oppression or police abuse, then we’re blaming the victim.”

Setmayer countered with,”I find it hard to believe that Marc would be as educated as he is and as much as he has contributed to the Black community and trying to overcome the negativity that’s in the community that he would actually sit here and try to justify emulating bad behavior.”

MUST READ: Emmy-Winning Producer Charles Belk Falsely Arrested & Held Because He ‘Fit The Description’ [PHOTO]

Marc says there’s a major difference between pulling your pants up and suggesting that said sagging pants are a identifier for criminality. While I don’t appreciate looking at any young man’s behind while his pants are below his butt, I don’t think that means…shoot me. Black men are not the only ones sagging their pants. White boys, Asian boys, Spanish boys…they all sag. So why is this message specifically for young Black men?

When Emmy-winning producer, Charles Belk was falsely arrested and detained because he “fit the description,” I wonder if his pants were sagging?

I’m curious beauties–what do you think about this challenge? Does it imply that Black men should dress differently in order to live their lives without police brutality or does being against the challenge imply that you’re justifying bad behavior?

Sound off in the comments below:

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