Put It on the Books just in case

[slo]

Here is an article I pulled from the San Luis Obispo "The Tribune". The tenor of this article just frosts me in that the police have pushed for as "just in case" ordinance. What do you think??

Posted on Tue, Aug. 16, 2005





SLO City Council limits nudity ban to Mardi Gras weeken
SLO City Council limits nudity ban to Mardi Gras weekend

Leslie Griffy

The Tribune


SAN LUIS OBISPO - Flashing during Mardi Gras can still result in a citation, the San Luis Obispo City Council decided Tuesday night.

The anti-nudity rule passed following the 2004 Mardi Gras riots, when nearly 200 people were arrested from gathering crowds on Foothill and California boulevards that police say were spurred in part by flashing.

But when the City Council passed the measure in September they did so only with the agreement it be brought back for review.

That law was effective year round. But Council members Paul Brown, John Ewan and Christine Mulholland on Tuesday shifted the rule to only be in effect during the Mardi Gras weekend.

"Beyond Mardi Gras this is really an unnecessary ordinance to have," Ewan said. "I don't think we should be so puritanical that we need to do this year round."

Police Chief Deb Linden told the council that the ordinance was effective in deterring flashing behavior. During party weekends such as Mardi Gras, she said, flashing leads to large crowds and dangerous situations for those doing the deed.

Since the ordinance became effective in October 2004, no ticket has been issued. But Linden said that proves the effectiveness of the law.

"The measure of success for any law is the reduction of undesirable behavior," she said, "not the number of sanctions issued."

Linden, like Mayor Dave Romero and Councilman Allen Settle, supported keeping the measure year round.

Romero said he worried about the message limiting the rule would send. But Brown countered that new issues could be dealt with as they arise.

"We don't have a problem with nude bicycle tournaments," he said. "If it becomes an issue, we can deal with it."

Romero and Settle supported another measure that would have kept the law year round, but it failed to garner enough support to pass.

SLO

[slo]

Here is an article I pulled from the San Luis Obispo "The Tribune". The tenor of this article just frosts me in that the police have pushed for as "just in case" ordinance. What do you think??

Posted on Tue, Aug. 16, 2005





SLO City Council limits nudity ban to Mardi Gras weeken
SLO City Council limits nudity ban to Mardi Gras weekend

Leslie Griffy

The Tribune


SAN LUIS OBISPO - Flashing during Mardi Gras can still result in a citation, the San Luis Obispo City Council decided Tuesday night.

The anti-nudity rule passed following the 2004 Mardi Gras riots, when nearly 200 people were arrested from gathering crowds on Foothill and California boulevards that police say were spurred in part by flashing.

But when the City Council passed the measure in September they did so only with the agreement it be brought back for review.

That law was effective year round. But Council members Paul Brown, John Ewan and Christine Mulholland on Tuesday shifted the rule to only be in effect during the Mardi Gras weekend.

"Beyond Mardi Gras this is really an unnecessary ordinance to have," Ewan said. "I don't think we should be so puritanical that we need to do this year round."

Police Chief Deb Linden told the council that the ordinance was effective in deterring flashing behavior. During party weekends such as Mardi Gras, she said, flashing leads to large crowds and dangerous situations for those doing the deed.

Since the ordinance became effective in October 2004, no ticket has been issued. But Linden said that proves the effectiveness of the law.

"The measure of success for any law is the reduction of undesirable behavior," she said, "not the number of sanctions issued."

Linden, like Mayor Dave Romero and Councilman Allen Settle, supported keeping the measure year round.

Romero said he worried about the message limiting the rule would send. But Brown countered that new issues could be dealt with as they arise.

"We don't have a problem with nude bicycle tournaments," he said. "If it becomes an issue, we can deal with it."

Romero and Settle supported another measure that would have kept the law year round, but it failed to garner enough support to pass.

SLO

[nudeM]

Yeah, I read that article also. It's a shame they (local authorities) would enforce this ordanance ONLY during Mardi Gras. I guess I can see their point, in a way.

If the crowds get as big as New Orleans, then I would have to agree in that, a bare-breasted female would result in slowing the crowd enough to cause a disturbance of some sort at any given time (saw this on a Cops episode).

I totally disagree with the law, but as some of you may or may not know, San Luis Obispo is the home of two colleges (Cuesta College and Cal Poly, SLO). I have literally seen mischievious acts just at the normal functions that is already in place. Mix that in with Mardi Gras, then you could have caos.

San Luis Obispo isn't really that big, but whenever there is a major function, then the crowds come from the neighboring communities, mostly the coastal cities.

Anyway, that is just my input.

[nudenwv]

i had the privilege of attending mardi gras in the early seventies. i was single at the time. how are they going to get their beaded necklaces? i still have one as a momento. you must have an open mind when attending mardi gras.

[missouriboy]

Good grief. The title of the news article is misleading, another knee-jerk response to anything concerning nudity. The ordinance was about a behavior, not about nudity:

quote:

...the ordinance was effective in deterring flashing behavior. During party weekends such as Mardi Gras, she said, flashing leads to large crowds and dangerous situations...

"We don't have a problem with nude bicycle tournaments"...

If the council would just ponder their very own words, they could write an ordinance stating that certain forms of nudity is allowed, but clothed people may not flash. And satisfy everyone's concerns!

quote:

"We don't have a problem with nude bicycle tournaments"...

That could be taken two different ways.

It could mean they are ok with nude tournaments in their town...

or much more likely it could mean that they don't have nude tournaments in their town so it's not a problem.

It's much more likely to be the second one, don't you think?