OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) – A young black man claims in court that U.S. Airways had him arrested and put in a straitjacket for wearing saggy pants that showed his underwear, but not “any inappropriate parts of his anatomy.”

Deshon Marman sued the airline; 10 of its John and Jane Doe employees, including the pilot; the City and County of San Francisco and its police Officer Calvin Tom, in Federal Court.

Marmon, a former University of New Mexico football player, was 20 when he was arrested and straitjacketed. He claims the airline’s racial animus is obvious, as only days before it had allowed a middle-aged white man to fly dressed in a bra and panties. (See below.)

“The plaintiff, Deshon Marman, is a young African-American male,” he says in the complaint. “On the morning of June 15, 2011, Mr. Marman was attempting to board U.S. Airways flight no. 488 so that he could return to college at New Mexico State University. Mr. Marman had briefly returned from New Mexico to the Bay Area to attend the funeral of a close friend. His friend’s death was a shock, and Mr. Marman was deeply saddened and emotionally drained when he attempted to board the plane.

“When Mr. Marman approached the gate, the U.S. Airways employee assigned to collect boarding passes loudly and unpleasantly ordered him to pull up his pants. Mr. Marman was dressed in the style common of youth today, which is to say that he was not revealing any inappropriate parts of his anatomy, the top of his underwear were visible above his loose-fitting pants. Although Mr. Marman was carrying his luggage, he did the best he could to comply with the U.S. Airways employee’s orders while he maneuvered his luggage to the seat and sat down.

“While this should have ended the matter, for some inexplicable reason, the U.S. Airways employees remained unappeased. Despite the fact that plaintiff was not sitting in his seat and his pants clearly were at the height demanded by the initial employee, other airline employees began accosting Mr. Marman. This culminated in the pilot, who is Caucasian, coming to the seat and demanding that Mr. Marman (who was sitting quietly and not causing any disturbance) depart the plane.

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