The long arm of the law fingered three cyclists for indecent exposure during Seattle's Saturday edition of the World Naked Bike Ride.
Seattle police arrested the three as 57 ride participants pedaled into Seward Park, according to the P-I. They were released from police custody after being charged with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor.
Ride organizer Daniel Johnson said this is the first time since the ride began in 2003 that there have been arrests. He believes the city's parks department is trying to discourage events that include nudity.
Parks spokeswoman Dewey Potter disagreed. She said it's not illegal in Washington state to be nude. “What's illegal is to provoke someone or upset them in some way,” Potter told the P-I.
(In other words, it's OK ride your bike naked as long as it doesn't bother anyone. If someone complains, you've broken the law. This makes absolutely no sense to me.)
Police said they had received complaints from several people (what do you do, call 9-1-1?) who saw the naked cyclists riding through Seattle parks and streets during the day. The ride usually includes a stop at the Seattle Center fountain.
The World Naked Bike Ride is meant to demonstrate how exposed people are to pollution and to celebrate the human body. There are similar rides in some 70 cities worldwide every year.
There are several clothing-optional rides in the Seattle area, so many in fact that the local organizers of the World Naked Bike Ride were having difficulties scheduling.
See “So many naked bike rides; a scheduling headache in Seattle” and “Naked bike ride schedule all squared away for Seattle.”
Website for Seattle's World Naked Bike Ride.
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