Riding your bike around Claremont while naked will not get you arrested, according to Claremont Police Chief Paul Cooper. Well, sometimes it won't.
Cooper said police will not take action against a nude biker as long as witnesses are not offended by the nudity or the biker is not getting sexual pleasure from his/her activity.
"This is a specific intent crime," Cooper said. "The persons exposing their genitals have to receive some type of sexual gratification from this. There's no evidence to support that [in this case]."
The discussion came at last night's council meeting, sparked by public comment from resident Ralph Ruiz, a retired LAPD cop who likes to complain about anything and everything that Claremont cops do.
On a recent Friday evening, Ruiz was driving near the Village with his 14-year-old daughter when a group of 25 to 30 scantily clad college students came riding by on their bikes. Ruiz called the cops, who stopped a handful of the naked riders but let them go on their merry way.
"When you have 25 to 30 students out there naked on their bikes, you have to cite and you have to make arrests ," Ruiz said. "You can't just let them do whatever they want."
Mayor Pro Tem Sam Pedroza called the incident a "shocking reminder that we do live in a college town."
Councilmember Corey Calaycay chimed in on the discussion, saying Claremont is trying to bill itself as a tourist destination and public nudity might harm the city's image. He also seemed offended by what he read in a Pomona College student newspaper about the incident.
"One of the writers referred to one of our officers as a 'douche bag' for apprehending her," Calaycay said. "I just thought that was out-of-line, disrespectful to our officers."
Wait, did Calaycay just say 'douche bag' up on the dais? New Mayor Linda Elderkin couldn't repress a chuckle upon hearing the statement from her colleague. Neither could I.
At any rate, Cooper suggested the possibility of a "public nudity ordinance" that could deter further nakedness around town. The council didn't seem too interested at this time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Glad to have you inform us of the individual (Ruiz) who wasted police resources by calling 911 over (gasp) nude bicyclists!
ReplyDeleteAre those the same students that jog with only tiny shorts in groups of 5-7? Ha!
ReplyDeleteWhat if someone's clothes offends me. Can they be arrested?
ReplyDeletemr. calaycay/the hall monitor.
ReplyDeleteit's also inappropriate to use the word d-bag in a public forum. there is a better way to express your disapproval of the comment than repeating it verbatim.
is he trying to kiss the police's a**? Is he really that offended by that word? He's a politician; certainly he's heard worse language.
The woman who made the comment was physically pulled off of her bike & had the officer's hands on her when she was scantily clothed; perhaps she felt upset.
Perhaps the naked woman who was "man-handled" by the officer wouldn't have been so upset if she had clothes on. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteNice thought... its also possible that some rape could be avoided if we all wore berkas, but blaming the victim is generally the fast track to Lamesville so lets talk about facts.
ReplyDeleteRiding naked is constitutionally protected expression. #1 on a list of important laws that trump all other laws. There is no "right to not be bothered" and being in public means you get to deal with others form of expression.
Riding naked is one sure fire way to be seen by motorists. We have yet to hear a motorist say "I didn't see the naked biker".
yet the irony of it all is that clothes do not protect you from a car. No matter what you have on your skin, when you are riding, you are in a manner, naked and vulnerable.
If we have to ride without clothes to be safe, than that is what we will do. Once the roads are made safe for cyclists then perhaps we wont have to be naked. Until then more and more people are gonna want to petition the government for a redress of grievances... naked... on their bikes.
"Perhaps the naked woman who was "man-handled" by the officer wouldn't have been so upset if she had clothes on. Just a thought."
ReplyDeleteWhoa. Way to blame the victim.
Victim? Consciously electing to ride a bike naked through city streets hardly equates to victimization.
ReplyDeleteTo Revphil:
ReplyDeleteYou are clearly in college. It is irrational and completely inane to imply that a naked bike rider being held by police is victimized in the same way as a rape victim.
Additionally, being detained by police is not equal to being raped.
It is actually comedic that you imply the naked bike riders were partaking in their activity as some kind of protest in support of bicycle safety. Are you kidding me with this?
"Riding naked is constitutionally protected expression." Aaah, to be nineteen again.
As you mature and begin to have better control on your world view, perhaps you will look back on your comments and smile.