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Just How Naked is Naked
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 23, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 23, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The protestor who stripped down in Washington Square Park, with the words "Stop the War" painted all over her body, had her case of "public indecency" thrown out by a judge. Haila Faisal was in Criminal Court yesterday, armed with lawyer Ron Kuby, to argue her case, but Judge Stanley Katz said the complaint was too vague (or as the NY Times put it, "too scantily described to warrant prosecution") and therefore threw out the case. Also contributing to the situation: Neither the arresting officer nor someone from the DA's office was present. D'oh! Or perhaps that was their passive-aggressive way of realizing the charges were dumb.
The Times writes that Kuby, always one for the spotlight, "seemed disappointed by the abrupt end," saying, "I was all ready to argue those wonderful issues about the constitutionality of public nudity. I was getting ready for a re-enactment of the crime." Then again, by not showing up, maybe the DA's office was punking Kuby. Anyway, Gothamist misses William Kunstler, because he probably would have ordered Faisal to strip down again.
Photograph from the Downtown Express
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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