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Last Updated: Nov 13th, 2008 - 22:28:54 |
On Halloween night, a large mass of people stood waiting along Pearl Street in Boulder.
Waiting in eager anticipation for the 10th annual Naked Pumpkin Run to begin. The event was scheduled for 9:30, but it wasn't until 11 that the naked runners, heads adorned with jack-o-lanterns, made their appearance.
The crowd around them cheered, clapped, laughed and high-fived the runners as they made their way down Pearl Street and toward the courthouse. A night of some harmless, naked running fun.
But that wasn't what the Boulder police thought about the whole situation.
Twelve of the runners were caught by police after the run. The crowd began chanting "Let them go" over and over. Police paid no attention to the will of the people and cited the 12 for indecent exposure.
The runners, called the "Pumpkin 12," now face the possibility of having to register as sex offenders if convicted of the citation for indecent exposure. That kind of punishment seems like quite a leap for someone committing a victimless crime.
What we have here is a perfect example of a legal system run amok on its own need for societal preservation. A system where lawmakers and law enforcers think what they are doing, they are doing for the greater good of the people. A system that makes laws based on the moral feelings of our lawmakers as opposed to what actually harms us.
No one got hurt on Halloween night, but there are still 12 people facing some serious penalties.
It is not the government's job to set down moral values that each person must follow. Sure, there are crimes such as murder and pedophilia that the government should be prosecuting, real crimes that create actual harm to others.
But public nudity? Who is that actually hurting? Are there any real victims from this event?
I would hope that at 11 p.m. young children (the only demographic it could be argued that nudity may hurt) would be in bed. And what kind of emotional damage could be done to an adult who sees someone naked? Nudity is a part of our daily lives, and if you aren't OK with it you probably shouldn't own a mirror.
The government should stop trying to make and enforce laws against actions that do not hurt anyone. Perhaps the Boulder police should have spent its time and resources (of which they had plenty, saying it was over-staffed on Halloween night) trying to stop the gang rape and assault that happened later that night instead of wasting its time citing a group of naked runners.
I support the Pumpkin 12. That does not mean that I like to see people run around naked. But you know what? I have a neck that swivels and eyes that close. If I don't want to see some guy's junk flapping around as he runs past me I just have to turn away or close my eyes. I don't need the police citing the guy and possibly ruining the rest of his life with a nonsense ticket.
I don't need the government trying to "protect" me from people who run around naked. I would rather it try and stop the guy who is raping someone, or the mugger who is stealing someone's wallet.
Ridiculous laws and law enforcement is a waste of our taxpayer money. The government should be spending its time working on real issues and trying to catch real criminals. Not trying to catch and punish the guy running around naked with a pumpkin on his head.
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