World Naked Bike Ride Brisbane 2008

Neosapienis

Hi all,

It's only 5 days away till the annual World Naked Bike Ride hits Brisbane.
This year things are looking a lot more organised with a few body painters
coming to set up a marquee for the riders, as well as a friend of mine
offering to register the participants and do a bbq for them in the park
after the ride is over.

Although I have not had as much media interest in it as I did last year, I
have spoken to Spencer Howson and Steve Austin on 612-ABC as well as Jaclyn
from 4ZZZ about the event. Some of my friends in the local punk and rock
music scene that I'm involved with have also said that they'll participate
in it with me.

This year I will be nuding up for it, and although the event has been
advertised in the Wynnum Herald which is where I will be holding the event,
I have not had any complaints from the council or the police so far. There
has also been much tension between the police and the Brisbane public
recently when an Aboriginal leader and musician and his friends got bashed
up by the cops outside a Brisbane nightclub and hit with pepper spray. It
looks like a return of Pig City - the police state of the Joh
Bjelke-Peterson days where the cops felt they had the power to bully any
social minority and get away with it. If the recent police brutality
towards Aboriginals incites public disgust, I wonder what the reaction would
be if they were to arrest and intimidate any naked cyclists all painted up?

I had a huge argument with my mother over the event tonight, she is worried
that I'll get arrested by the cops and said that if I do then neither she
nor my dad will offer to bail me out. If the matter goes to court then I
will have to pay for my own lawyer and hope that I go the same way as Simon
Oosterman (whom I have also told about the event as well). Basically, I
don't compromise myself for anyone and I refuse to allow my family to cop
any flack over the event - it's got nothing to do with them.

We now have two websites for the event at:
http://www.myspace.com/wnbr_brisbane and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WNBR_Brisbane

I am wondering whether I should email the police or not, as I don't want
them turning up to the event and bullying everyone to either stay fully
dressed or be arrested like they did last year.


Best wishes,

Dario Western