Marman, 20, was told to pull up his pajama pants when he was boarding the US Airways flight at San Francisco International Airport a week ago. Marman says he complied when he got to his seat, but was still repeatedly harassed by crewmembers and was yanked from the flight and arrested by police when the captain told him to leave his plane.
Marman says he felt like he was being attacked for no reason.
"I feel like if it was a rapper or superstar walking on the airplane hanging and sagging his pants, they would want his autograph; they wouldn't tell him, 'Hey would you pull up your pants, please,'" Marman said.
Since the incident, a photo of a different US Airways passenger surfaced. Passenger Jill Tarlow snapped the picture of a man wearing little more than blue underwear and black stockings. He flew first class on a US Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Phoenix on June 9, six days before Marman was arrested.
"For them to ask him to pull up his pants but not ask the guy in my plane to cover up, I think it's hypocritical," Tarlow said.
Marman's attorney Joe O'Sullivan believes his client was the victim of a double standard.
"Leads to only one conclusion because Mr. Marman was black, wearing dreds, he was treated differently," O'Sullivan said.
US Airways did not return KGO-TV's calls for comment, but last week, a spokesperson said the airline has no dress code, but they expect their passengers to dress appropriately.
