Police not amused by naked ride

[Resident Smart Ass]

Police not amused by naked ride

By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard

Published: March 9, 2008 12:00AM


A mass Naked Bike Ride through the streets of Eugene — an event intended as a whimsical demonstration against oil dependency and a celebration of the human body — briefly turned into a fracas Saturday when police tried to stop the parade and arrest some of the participants.

About 100 bicyclists in various states of undress made the ride, which began at Skinner Butte Park at 7:30 p.m. and ended about an hour later at the Eugene railroad depot. The event was intended to mimic similar rides held in larger cities around the world in recent years.
Along the way, riders cheered, chanted and stopped traffic as they weaved through the Whiteaker neighborhood and then downtown. Organizers did not alert Eugene police in advance, instead sharing their plans via the Internet, fliers and word-of- mouth. But it didn’t take long for officers to make their presence felt.
As riders headed east on Broadway, officers in two patrol cars pulled over at least two cyclists. As the parade wended its way down Charnelton, one officer stopped his car in the middle of the intersection, got out and ordered the cyclists to stop and women to put their tops on.
As the ride wheeled up 13th Avenue near Willamette, at least three police vehicles showed up, with one pulling in front of the main pack. Most of the riders kept going, but when an officer grabbed one of them, an angry group of naked bicyclists surrounded the officer, shouting and chanting for him to let the biker go.
After letting the first biker go, the officer grabbed the rear rack of another rider’s bike. That’s when Cassandra Hurd, 21, got involved.
Hurd, a welder and Lane Community College student, rammed her bike into the other rider’s bike. She said later she was trying to keep police from arresting the other rider because “We were making a statement; we weren’t doing anything wrong.”
As one officer grabbed Hurd, who was wearing only panties, and put her on the ground, preparing to arrest her, the crowd loudly chanted, ““Leave her alone, leave her alone.”
Another officer trained his Taser on a naked man who approached the scene, but did not use the weapon.
After a few moments, Hurd was let go and the ride continued.
“We attempted to make arrests but the crowd turned on the two officers we had trying to handle the situation and they elected to disengage before someone got hurt,” Eugene police Lt. Rich Stronach said later.
Police caught wind that some kind of ride would take place when organizers inquired about getting a permit from the city Parks Department, but they were “caught off guard” when they rode downtown, he said.
When police received complaints about the riders blocking traffic, officers decided the bicyclists needed to comply with traffic laws, Stronach said.
When the riders ignored the officers’ emergency lights and kept riding, “You have to get a little more insistent getting them to stop,” he said. Had organizers talked to police ahead of time, police could have told them how to comply with traffic laws and be left alone, he said.
Arrests are not unheard of at Naked Bike Rides, but most go off peacefully, according to organizers and past participants.The rides have been happening in dozens of cities around the world since at least 2004.
The London ride goes by Buckingham Palace and draws approximately 1,000 riders, said Conrad Schmidt of Vancouver, B.C., one of the event’s founders.
The purposes of the rides, organizers say, are multiple: to celebrate cycling and the human body; to demonstrate the vulnerability of bicyclists on the road; and to protest against global oil dependency. But mostly, they say, it’s to have fun on bikes.
Portland, known for its enthusiastic bicycle culture, has been host to Naked Bike Rides for several years. Last year’s ride drew more than 1,000 riders, said Jonathan Maus, editor of bikeportland.org.
The event in that city takes place the first week of June, when Portlanders are in a festive mood with the Rose Festival and Fleet Week, he said. The bike ride usually starts at midnight, so there’s not much traffic or police involvement, he said.
“It’s just fun and it caught on as a novel thing to do,” Maus said. “It’s a sign of a good healthy bike culture.”
Saturday’s event began when bikers gathered in the gloaming at Skinner Butte Park. Fire dancers and a saxophone player provided entertainment as riders began disrobing and preparing for the ride, some with body paint and other creative body wear.
Not all riders were naked; some men wore underwear, some women wore bras or bikini tops. One woman wrapped her torso in plastic wrap to provide some insulation and to cover up.
“I think I’m keeping my boxers on; my seat is leather,” said one man.
“I was going to wear a loincloth,” said another. “But my design didn’t work out — it looked like a diaper.”
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms...27&sid=4&fid=1

[Xiphos]

Nothing a large cloud of Clear Out or OC wouldn't have solved.

[Ender]

Posting something like this without pictures is just fine. Usually the people who want everybody to see them naked....shouldn't.

[gozling]

oh come on now...
yall wish you could have been there to see the nips!

[TheeBadOne]

#1. in this career you will get to see a lot of naked people

#2. most of them you will wish you hadn't

TBO

[Ender]

oh come on now...
yall wish you could have been there to see the nips!

eh...I've been to a couple 'Naked Mile,' runs. Most of the nips you see, are not nips you want to see.

However...the absolutely hot women that run make it worthwhile

[gozling]

eh...I've been to a couple 'Naked Mile,' runs. Most of the nips you see, are not nips you want to see.

However...the absolutely hot women that run make it worthwhile

lol
there is a park called Haulover Beach and the north end is nude...
going to calls there sucked... everyone was over 50 for the men YUK and if they were younger men... they were the homeless drug addicts with sores all over them YUKKKKKKKIER
the women.... some were pretty hot... but most of them were..
the YUKKKIEST

I guess it takes just one hot one to have the focus lol... just dont look at anyone else...

I just sort of wished one time.. just one time going to that beach on a call ... that there was an attractive hot guy- but there never was

[Ender]

lol
I just sort of wished one time.. just one time going to that beach on a call ... that there was an attractive hot guy- but there never was

I would have a problem with that if it were a hot chick...I'd be thinking, "I hope nobody looks at my junk right now."

And I would DEFINITELY be wearing sunglasses.

Damn...I haven't been to a clothing optional beach in 7 or 8 years...

[gozling]

Damn...I haven't been to a clothing optional beach in 7 or 8 years...

triple dog dare you

[kjlaw]

The less you would want to see someone naked the more willing they seem to be to show you themselves naked.

[Ender]

triple dog dare you

I chose the 'clothing' option, since I didn't want to burn my peepee.

However, the nice young lady I was playing volleyball with chose the alternative after we were done playing.

giddy-up!

[Xiphos]

Most of the nips you see, are not nips you want to see.

How come there are never any Playboy Bunnies who want to strip naked and run arond the ghetto drunk and high?

[Ender]

How come there are never any Playboy Bunnies who want to strip naked and run arond the ghetto drunk and high?

because they probably aren't getting the $$$ associated with such an event

[Bob Loblaw]

About 100 bicyclists in various states of undress made the ride, which began at Skinner Butte Park

seriously?

[Ducky]

Just a thought: I bet the cops were highly amused and laughing their collective asses off, at least till they got closer and saw how ugly and manly most of the participants were.

[Detective7653]

Thats just too funny, Had to find this on the web
http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.html
people never stop amazing me.

[CTR man]

And I thought that some of the goings on in San Francisco were weird. Or Key West?