Nudity Ban Protest, Jane Warner Plaza, S.F. 2013-12-15
Nudity Ban Protest, Jane Warner Plaza, San Francisco, 15th December 2013. All photos by Leif Heilberg.
The 3-man TV crew were Norwegians from Oslo and they kept busy doing their work from 12 noon till 1:15 p.m. when I left.
Already when I arrived at 11:30 a.m. a single cop was trolling around the plaza, knowing what was about to take place. Fifteen minutes later, when the protest participants had arrived with their posters and other promotional materials, five cops were standing before the gasoline station, caucusing and planning their raid on the daring law-breakers. 30 minutes later, a total of 15 uniformed cops had surrounded the plaza, looking ready, able and willing to proceed with MP5s against both the gathering spectators and the protest activists. Well, it didn’t come to a fire fight, but one cop told me they had to have enough personnel to enforce the law and keep opposing groups from fighting each other. I only saw activists and spectators – (and no opposing groups) - , and the spectators eagerly used their cameras on whatever semi-nudity and finally 5-minutes of nudity visible. At that point, the police sergeant went straight for the activists and told them in no uncertain terms, that they only had five minutes to be through with the illegal nudity, or else. George, the perpetual political nude candidate, spoke his piece, like did James and Gypsy.
Two semi-nude (topless) women and ditto men joined the protesters and spoke by loud speakers to the public about the natural right to have a nude body, and at the end Gypsy let her children address the public as well.
Leif Heilberg
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