Artist Phoenix Feeley (formerly Jill Coccaro, pictured) just wants to bare her chest without getting arrested, but unfortunately, that's proven difficult. She's been arrested twice now for going topless. Her first arrest won her a $29,000 settlement from the City of New York. In a 1992 state appeals case, the New York High Court ruled that it is in fact perfectly legal for a woman to walk around topless since men can do it. But the officer who arrested the 27-year old East Village artist was unaware of the law, and apparently he manhandled her and assumed her to be mentally ill.
Phoenix Feeley went au naturel on Aug. 4, 2005, when she pulled down the front of her painter's jumpsuit during an art-show promotion to cool off. A cop, who spotted Feeley at about 1:30 a.m. strolling topless on Delancey Street asked her to cover up. When Feeley refused - informing the officer she had a legal right to be naked to the waist, just like a man - the officer took her into custody for indecent exposure. Feeley spent 12 hours in custody before the officer told her the District Attorney's Office had declined to press charges. While she was detained, Feeley claims, an officer yanked her from a patrol car by her hair, that she was taken to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and that cops refused to help her repair her by-then badly ripped jumpsuit.
Well, in the cop's defense, with artists it is sometimes hard to gauge their sanity...
This summer, Ms. Feeley is taking the good fight to New Jersey. In her latest arrest, Ms. Feeley was attempting to sunbath topless at Salem Avenue beach in Manasquan on June 27th. And this time, she'll be fighting the local ordinance that states
No person or persons shall disrobe or dress or undress [in public].
The wording of the ordinance makes no specific claims about a person who is already found in a state of undress, which might give Ms. Feeley some legal leverage, as the state of New Jersey has no higher ruling on female versus male chest nudity.
I was unable to find any good images of Feeley topless, which is surprising given her notoriety, but should any surface I'll be sure to keep everyone updated.
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