Nudity. What is it with nudity? Is it that feeling of freedom that you get from memories of running around naked as a toddler? Most people grow out of the idea of walking around and doing chores in the nude. But in Huntington Beach, a naked neighbor is prompting police in to seek a ban on public nudity. Authorities say people have complained about a naturist who stands naked in his front yard or inside his home with the windows and doors open. He's been convicted of indecent exposure several times and currently is facing charges filed by the Orange County district attorney's office.
Police say it will be easier to take action on every complaint if there's a city ordinance against nudity. Police Chief Kenneth Small (yep, that's his name, not his size) says he'll ask the City Council on Monday to ban person from being nude in public or in private areas where the public can see them. A group called the Naturist Action Committee is opposed to the idea, arguing a law would infringe on the man's rights.
The house is located on a very busy street where the naked dude could be seen by cars travelling by, kids walking with their parents, and the occasional pervert who's just stopping by for a good look. This guy must have been really letting it all hang out if the city is going to this length (pun intended) to ban nudity. Once again, our tax dollars at work!
In a related "naked news" story, a Detroit man who was sentenced to 30 days in jail for taking his daily run while wearing only a stocking cap, gloves and reflective tape said that the nude jogging made him "feel alive," according to police. Russell Rotta, 49, told police that he had been running naked since he was a teenager and that he generally woke up each day around 4 a.m. to conceal the activity from his wife. Rotta reported running in the nude six miles a day every day, weather permitting. He wore reflective tape around his arms, ankles, waist and thighs to avoid being hit when he crossed roads, the police report said.Rotta told police he didn't indulge his habit to disturb anyone or receive sexual gratification. He said he generally confined his running to open fields and wooded areas away from roads. "That is the one wild, crazy thing that I do that makes me feel alive," police quoted him as saying. In the police report, the responding officer wrote that he recalled several reports over the years of a naked man running in the area. The officer said he spotted Rotta by his shoe reflectors as he attempted to cross a road.
In both of these cases, it seems the law will win. I just can't wait to see the "legal briefs!"
