Posted on 06/21/2002 5:07:50 AM PDT by chance33_98
Bare-Breasted Mermaid Sues NYC Lawsuit Stems From Mermaid Parade Arrest Posted: 8:04 a.m. EDT June 20, 2002
NEW YORK -- A woman who wore nothing but a thong and body paint at last year's Mermaid Parade in Coney Island sued the city Wednesday, charging police wrongfully arrested her for exposing her breasts.
Amy Gunderson, a 30-year-old model from Brooklyn, filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court alleging police brass violated her First Amendment rights when they arrested her last June 29.
The 19-year-old parade, which will be held again this Saturday, traditionally features floats with topless women dressed as surf-tossed sea creatures.
But last year, police issued Gunderson a criminal summons for exposure, and other topless women quickly covered their nipples with seashells, beads and Band-Aids, said Gunderson's lawyer, Ron Kuby.
The charges against Gunderson were eventually dismissed by a judge.
Kuby, a longtime judge at the parade, accused then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of overreacting to the free-spirited festival.
"I think (current Mayor Michael Bloomberg) has a different view of bare breasts than Mayor Giuliani," Kuby said.
City corporation counsel spokeswoman Kate O'Brien Ahlers said lawyers at her office would "examine the issues carefully" once they receive a copy of the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Kuby's law partner Daniel Perez said Gunderson would be only a spectator in this year's parade because she's afraid of getting arrested again.
"She feels unsafe," Perez said, "and she feels threatened because they obviously rained on her parade."
As I recall, the DA even ended up on the 'Today Show', before he lost the case in the States highest court.
Later, these bimbos tried to cross the Peace Bridge into Canada -- to 'enlighten' our northern neighbors, and some ended up in jail.
So as a result, women are allowed to go topless in NY State anywhere men are. Believe me, you don't want to see those heifers pics.
Perhaps it was due to a lack of evidence.
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