Any legal eagles here, please jump in on this one. My best instinct is that this gal (whose age is either 53 or 61, and who got piled on by three cops for “obscenity”) is actually the one with the better case, if push comes to shove. As you see from the photo, a #NoKings participant dressed up as an inflatable penis and went to her local protest. This was one of the top 25 photos all over the nation, so if nothing else the gal’s celebrity might get her off the hook. The big legal issue? Evidently whether a plastic, vaguely phallic looking thing with big feet pods for testicles constitutes “lewd conduct.” Whut? That’s why I’m saying my legal instinct is that *charges* will be dropped and the cops will be lucky if she doesn’t sue them for use of excessive force. THREE cops on one middle aged or older woman? Come effin’ on, folks.
#NoKings event in Fairhope, Al.A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator"3 cops on a 53 yo woman.
I don’t know about you, but those giant testicles, that look more like feet on a beloved stuffed animal and allow the woman to balance in the costume, take away any look of lewdness. The testicles don’t look like testicles, they look like inflatable water buoys or a seated teddy bear or such. The so-called head of the penis looks like a stitched satin pillow or some such. I’m not getting indecent exposure vibes here, I’m getting farce. But let’s hear how Trump argues this is obscenity, when his AI diarrhea video is satire. That I want to hear.
I was friends with a lawyer and talk show host by the name of Alan Berg back in the 70’s. He was assassinated by a group of Nazis in 1984. If you want to read about that tragedy, here’s a link to a story I did on Daily Kos back before PolitiZoom existed. Alan was Lenny Bruce’s attorney in Chicago and successfully defended the controversial comedian against obscenity charges there, is the point that I’m leading up to.
If Alan was here now, he would travel to whatever state this occurred in, get an order from the court to appear Pro Hoc Vice (Latin for “on this occasion only” and a legal device by which an out of state lawyer can represent a client without being admitted to the Bar of the state in question) and defend this woman. I am certain of it. This is exactly the kind of nutball case and ridiculous miscarriage of justice that appealed to him and the court transcript would be classic. How I wish this could take place.
Again, all I can say is that I don’t think we need to make a federal case out of this, but I wish that some criminal attorney would take this “obscenity” case and do what my buddy Alan Berg would have done, which is turn it into a social cause celebre. This is absurd. But then again, we live in Idiocracy come to life, so yes, it all does make a kind of sense.
[Editor’s note: This incident took place in Fairhope, Alabama, which is where our very own Jason Miciak has lived. Small world isn’t it? UF]
“kids will be kids” is a sure fire defense
the great film talk radio written by and starring the fantastic eric bogosian was based on berg. also starring the wonderful ed mcginley.