Inmates. Asylum. In Charge.

Inmates. Asylum. In Charge.

Bend, Oregon, is a lovely little town, and not particularly bizarre. Then I see news stories like this, and reminds me that there's another part of Oregon, and the reason that I can't seriously consider living there. This November 14, 2008 Associated Press story in the Seattle Times just makes me shake my head:

PORTLAND — A judge has ruled that you can, indeed, "let it all hang out" in Portland and dismissed indecent exposure charges against a nude bicycle rider who did just that.

In Portland, the judge said, cycling naked has been anointed as a "well-established tradition" and understood as a form of "symbolic protest."

Judge Jerome LaBarre said the city's annual World Naked Bike Ride — in which as many as 1,200 people took part last June 14 — has helped cement riding in the buff as a form of protest against cars and dependence on fossil fuels.

LaBarre then cleared Michael "Bobby" Hammond, 21, after two days of hearings.

Hammond ran afoul of the constabulary June 26, when he stripped down and hopped on his 10-speed in an effort, he says, to show that he alone was powering it.

Portland police, however, saw Hammond's two-minute ride through the Alberta Arts District as a stunt, not free speech, and arrested him, citing a city code that states it's illegal to expose genitalia in a public place in view of members of the opposite sex.

A bystander recorded the episode, which was posted on the Web.

As Hammond pulled to a stop, police began to question him.

Hammond said he didn't think he was doing anything wrong.

An officer told him to put on some pants or go to jail. "There are kids out there," the officer said.

"I just want to ride my bike," Hammond says. "I'm wearing a helmet."

The officer said that was nice, but that it was either pants or jail.

I have friends that live in the area. They tell me that residents often call the place "Pornland" because of the number of adult porn shops there--apparently, quite unusually high. And I've seen the "Keep Portland Weird" bumper stickers when I have been over there. They're succeeding.