San Francisco Nudity Ban Protest, Feb 1, 2015

I arrived about 12 noon, and on the last block of 17th Street I already saw 6 police patrol cars and one 'Prisoner Transport Vehicle', all getting ready to make a raid on the dangerous protesters.

Over the next quarter hour the group set up their posters and then arranged four chairs to raise the primary activists to a visible level on which to give their spiel via a bull horn.

A couple of police officers, one a female, came over and delivered a threat, that if nudity was displayed, the participants would be arrested. Till now, the activists were only semi-nude, officially allowed in San Francisco.

Around 12:25 p.m. Gypsy Taub, her husband James, George Davis the perennial candidate for office, and Rusty Mills (now out of sick bed), also joined the party, while Ray had his traditional seat at the side. Lloyd was among the crowd, as usual. So the four activists did their propaganda for the cause while in the nude on the chairs, and at 12:32 p.m. the police raid began, and first James, then Gypsy, and last George were led away in handcuffs. I couple of minutes before, Rusty had put on his shorts and thus avoided arrest.

So, the protest had been short and sweet, but it was primarily made as an anniversary event. At least the weather was good, and the crowd cheered the activists and booed the police.

Leif Heilberg, Feb 2015.