Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Woman Sues NYC After Arrest For Going Topless In Brooklyn Park
By
Lauren Evans
Published Oct 8, 2013
Modified Oct 9, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Lauren Evans
Published Oct 8, 2013
Modified Oct 9, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Cops have a complicated relationship with topless women. Though the law clearly states that it's perfectly legal for ladies to bare their breasts in any public space in the city, cop brains have been classically conditioned to whip out their handcuffs at the first sight of an exposed nipple in any location they don't think it belongs.
Such was the case with Jessica Krigsman, a Brooklyn woman who was sitting, topless, on a bench in Gravesend's Calvert Vaux Park last July when she was approached by two officers, who told her to put her shirt back on, according to a complaint.
Krigsman was apparently prepared for this, because she notified the officers that it has been perfectly legal for women to be topless in public since 1992. One officer's response was to tell her to "stop mouthing off" or she would be arrested. Krigsman pointed out that arresting her would be illegal. Wrong answer! "That's it," he said, before handcuffing her and pulling her shirt over her head in "a very aggressive manner." She was held at the 68th Precinct for five hours on charges of "obstructing a sitting area" (with her breasts?) before she was released.
The charges were dropped in October, and now Krigsman is seeking unspecified damages for civil rights violations, malicious prosecution, assault and battery. Her lawyer, Stuart Jacobs, said that despite having been informed specifically that going topless in public is permissible for both men and women, police just can't seem to get it right. He attributes this apparent disregard for the law as a simple conflict with instinct.
"A lot of time it’s a knee jerk reaction when an officer sees a female in public without her shirt on," he said. "They go 'Oh my God, this person's naked, it can’t be right.'"
"They've been trained and retrained, but it still happens," Jacobs added, referring to several instances of police wrongfully harassing women. But the fact remains that it's legal, and no amount of intimidation will change that.
"It’s a pretty clear cut thing," Jacobs said. "There are no gray areas here."
Tagged
lawsuits
nypd
topless rights
topless women
original
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Retired NYPD detective charged with murder in George Washington Bridge shooting
Police say a Rockland County man was fatally shot during what appeared to be a road rage incident on Tuesday night.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 21, 2026 at 4:26 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 21, 2026 at 5:43 p.m. ET
NYPD officer faces disciplinary trial 10 years after killing Delrawn Small
Officer Wayne Isaacs will go on trial in January on a charge that he used improper force when he shot and killed Delrawn Small in East New York in July 2016.
By
Ben Feuerherd
News
NYPD officer faces disciplinary trial 10 years after killing Delrawn Small
Officer Wayne Isaacs will go on trial in January on a charge that he used improper force when he shot and killed Delrawn Small in East New York in July 2016.
By
Ben Feuerherd
NYC adult daycare operators charged with committing over $500K in Medicaid fraud
By
Caroline Lewis
Port Authority eyes $117M fix to Manhattan roadway where falling debris smashed cars
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Bronx couple starved their 3-year-old to death, indictment says
By
Catalina Gonella
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .