NYCity: Breasts Ain't Bad: NYPD Tells Cops Not To Arrest Topless Women

[Danee]

The plight of topless women around our fair city has been well-documented, thanks to crusading topless activists like Holly Van Voast and Moira Johnston—at this point, you'd think that everyone and their topless mother knows that you can't be arrested for letting your nips taste the spring air in NYC. And yet, there are still some police officers who get confused. But thankfully, the NYPD has been doing their darndest to make things as clear as possible—by repeatedly instructing the 34,000 officers on the force that “simply exposing their breasts in public" is not an actionable offense.
The NY Times found this little bit of information out after boob-baring provocateur Van Voast's sued the city and NYPD for arresting, detaining or giving summonses to her 10 times in the last two years (that includes the time she was carted off to the mental hospital). Officers were read the memo about not arresting topless woman at 10 consecutive roll calls in February; they were told that if a topless person draws a crowd, they are to “give a lawful order to disperse the entire crowd and take enforcement action” against those who do not comply. “Whether the individuals are clothed or not is not a factor in making a determination about whether the above-mentioned crowd conditions exist.”
Van Voast hasn't been arrested since last year, which puzzled her lawyer until he learned about this recent memo: “I was aware that they stopped telling her to put a shirt on, stopped arresting her, stopped carting her off to mental institutions,” Ronald L. Kuby said. “But I was not aware why.”


Officers who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that they had been read the memo, though they couldn't confirm the details around it. While it's obviously made a difference for Van Voast, not everyone has quite understood yet:
Another officer said he could not recall the message being read but said he remembered hearing last summer that “it’s legal to be topless if you’re a man or a woman.”


“I thought you had to have body paint,” said a female officer standing with him.
“No,” the first replied. “You don’t need that.”


From: [size=78%]http://gothamist.com/2013/05/15/cops_told_not_to_arrest_topless_wom.php[/size]


and,


From: [size=78%]http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/nyregion/a-police-roll-call-reminder-women-may-go-topless.html?_r=0[/size]

[nudetrail]

if men can be topfree WOMEN should be legally able to as well

[Danee]

This seems like a small step if it was legal already! But a significant one nonetheless

One would think so Andy, but last year, the police there made some arrests and the politicians had to do something to educate their police that it is not been illegal in over 20 years.  Ignorance.  It cost the city some money as they had no case and this year, the city gave education to the police to make them aware. Again, ignorance but it was simply not knowing.

[skifan08]

I'm glad this is getting publicity and not the bad kind. I don't think many people in the area knew about this at all.

[Riot.EXE]

Strange that this part of the law was not known by the officers in the first place! As for taking Holly Van Voast to a mental hospital....

Why would it be known, much less thought of, by the majority of people?  Think of how society conditions most peeps as it is...it's not surprising.  Sure, it's been legal for 20-ish years now, but how many women out there are actually taking advantage of that?

[The_Xenologer]

Strange that this part of the law was not known by the officers in the first place! As for taking Holly Van Voast to a mental hospital....

Why would it be known, much less thought of, by the majority of people?  Think of how society conditions most peeps as it is...it's not surprising.  Sure, it's been legal for 20-ish years now, but how many women out there are actually taking advantage of that?

Well, and even if there is a law in place protecting the right to be topfree, it doesn't immediately get rid of the social stigma surrounding exposed breasts. Even if no one specifically voices their disapproval to it, many women would probably still elect not to go topfree for fear of what people may think about them or for fear of being harassed.

[Riot.EXE]

Strange that this part of the law was not known by the officers in the first place! As for taking Holly Van Voast to a mental hospital....

Why would it be known, much less thought of, by the majority of people?  Think of how society conditions most peeps as it is...it's not surprising.  Sure, it's been legal for 20-ish years now, but how many women out there are actually taking advantage of that?

Well, and even if there is a law in place protecting the right to be topfree, it doesn't immediately get rid of the social stigma surrounding exposed breasts. Even if no one specifically voices their disapproval to it, many women would probably still elect not to go topfree for fear of what people may think about them or for fear of being harassed.

Exactly.