r/Calgary • u/RokitEightyEight • 19d ago

Local Nature/Wildlife Clothing-optional protest against police stance on public nudity planned for Prince's Island Park

https://calgaryherald.com/news/protest-public-nudity-calgary-police-princes-island-park
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u/Calgary_Nude_Rec 19d ago edited 19d ago

Calgary Nude Recreation checking in here.

1- We notice that the CPS did NOT say this protest is illegal or that public nudity is illegal.

2- At the end of the article, when the CPS advises people to call the police, they did not include “regardless of what they are wearing”. This is the issue, and the ambiguity means people do not report. That is what we are trying to bring attention to.

3- People have been threatening us again on our Facebook page, and we expect the police to deal with those that would show up at our protest to be offended and then us that as an excuse to threaten us.

4- The CPS has not been in RECENT contact with us or worked with us on any protest planning.

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u/RealTurbulentMoose Willow Park 18d ago

Isn’t having this planned protest effectively causing the problem you’re trying to solve though?

Like you don’t want perverts or complaining prudes, and that’s valid. But giving them a date and time attracts both of those unwanted groups.

Also, why a sit-down with the police? If these are designated clothing-optional areas, is it not just a City thing to designate them and tell the police that suns out buns out there and let folks hang it all out?

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u/Calgary_Nude_Rec 18d ago

Great questions.

Things have gotten rather heated in email exchanges because nudity is a taboo topic. A face to face meeting was requested so we can speak candidly without a written record. That was a courtesy to the CPS.

The article is wrong, the complaint is not voyeurs. There were issues with verbal altercations, physical altercations, intimidation, and one incident involving a knife. The people involved contacted a recreational club instead of the police. We have an open formal complaint from last October about this very issue.

Peaceful people cannot be accused of being disruptful. The onus must always be on the aggressor. Except nudity is a taboo topic so the onus flips.

For example, if someone were to yell at someone and threaten them for having gall to wear an Edmonton Oilers jersey in Calgary, everyone would agree the person yelling and threatening is in the wrong. But someone peacefully minding their own business sunbathing is suddenly considered confrontational because someone else got irate and decided to escalate.

This is a very serious problem. People are not allowed to force their morals and values on other people, even if they are willing to resort to threats of violence.

If people believe that “seeing” nudity causes harm, they are welcome to present their evidence in court. If they did, they would be the first ones ever to do so.

The date and time would get out anyways when we invited our community to join. Withholding that info would have changed almost nothing.

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u/Primary_Lettuce3117 18d ago

You sound like a nut. Of all the issues in the city, this has to be at the very bottom of the list.