Boobs on bikes for city?
BY DANIEL ADAMS
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A parade of topless women on motorbikes down Hamilton's main street looks set to proceed on Thursday despite concerns from city council staff over the scale of the event and its potential for disruption.
Boobs on Bikes, an event often criticised but which draws thousands of spectators to its bigger Auckland counterpart, will parade down Victoria St.
It has been condemned by conservative lobby group Voice Waikato, which has labelled it "trash".
Pornographer and parade organiser Steve Crow said he had contacted the police and council about the parade.
Council works and services general manager Chris Allen said staff had spoken with Mr Crow and discussed the event, but would be speaking with him again today to ensure he was aware of his responsibilities.
But whether the event went ahead was largely up to Mr Crow, with sanctions including fines only possible afterwards if there was trouble.
"The biggest issue here is a judgment call on whether the event is likely to cause a public nuisance ... it's the organisers' judgment call as to whether it is likely to," he said. Whether it was a "public nuisance" would depend on the event's scale, an issue council staff would be seeking further information on from the organisers.
"If it's one bike it's probably unlikely to and if it's 100 it's likely to be a nuisance," Mr Allen said. "We'll certainly be monitoring it."
Mr Crow said he had copped "really nasty" feedback through online biker forums but would press ahead anyway.
"I've got 20 girls doing Hamilton, but I'm short of bikes."
Mr Crow denied the parade was a promotion for his Auckland Erotica expo. "It's a freedom of expression ride."
He was unapologetic when asked what he would say to parents whose children might unwittingly see the event. "I would say breasts are perfectly natural. What is the big deal? It's perfectly legal in New Zealand for a woman to take her top off in public."
Briefing papers for participants warned against sexual behaviour.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Simcock said: "I'm not going to get excited about stopping them coming because council simply don't have the powers to. He can do whatever he's legally entitled to do. I'm not at all interested."
Voice Waikato spokesman Bert Jackson said: "That parade is basically a marketing ploy for his pornography business, and a lot of his pornography is extremely objectionable.It's tacky, it doesn't help the image of the city, it's not good for human dignity."
- What do you think of the parade?
- © Fairfax NZ News
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What bugs me about this whole issue is Crow is claiming this to be about freedom of expression and how breasts are beautiful and natural.
He obscenely smears those issues. All this is about is advertising for his "show".
Lisa Lewis. What can one say. "Ick" and "Puke" might be a good start. #17 says it. Nothing more than attention-seeking.
"No minors". I presume you were spending your time on your back... I mean on the back of a ute watching out for children. And I equally suppose that the organisers were carefully preventing children from entering the area. But then again, maybe not.
This is not a matter of not wanting to see a few boobs. It is the manner of the display. If it was a parade to raise awareness for breast cancer or to promote breast-feeding, it would be a completely different story.
@chrissy #21: "All the girls on his ride are plastic"
Having just been to the Auckland one I can tell you right now that the vast majority of the girls have not been surgically enhanced & a few weren't even actually girls. Last year he had Chelsea Charms & there's nothing about her breasts that you could even begin to describe as "perky".
Nice try however & thanks for playing.
Each to their own I say . . . but I can't get past the fact that Steve Crowe say's all this bull**** like "It's a freedom of expression ride" "I would say breasts are perfectly natural" What is the big deal?" . . . . yes breasts are natural but having some guy exploiting people just to feed the wallet . . wrong wrong wrong. Get a real job and contribute to society in a positive manner instead of trying to suck the guts out of anything R18.
@X*X #11
Haha "makes Hamilton look trashy" Yea 'thats' the reason Hamilton looks trashy. Thanks for the laugh.
I've just been informed from a biker friend of mine who is attending, that Steve Crow the 'photographer' will be shooting some scenes for his new movie "Sleasy Rider" just off the mainstreet.
i hear the real flashpoint of the route takes them by the feminist association and breast cancer awareness HQ
Quite disgusting how public standards/decency have fallen.
Do whatever you wish in private but keep stuff in public PG13 at least.
@Si #25 - Freedom of EXPRESSION isn't the same thing as Freedom of SPEECH. There are multiple methods of expression and speech is only one of them.
@Obelix #28 - That would be a public hazard. They either have no hands on the handle or babies would have to be dangling around...
@mk #18 - Would people come and watch it?
Good on all you Hamiltronites who enjoy watching a few tacky tarts with silicone **** - hope you get your jollies. Personally, I hope the weather is wet and cold and miserable, just what the parade deserves.
And to those who've commented that we've moved on from the 1950s - exactly, and doesn't that mean we've all grown up a little and become a bit more sophisticated so we don't need to giggle about boobs behind the bike sheds? Just put them away, it doesn't mean anything other than advertising for Steve Crowe.
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I have absolutely no problem with a topless parade as such, but Crow should not try to spin it into something it most transparently is not. This is a commercial promotion, not a celebration of freedom of expresson - it's only celebrating the freedom to express a very particular kind of naked woman, not a range of body types etc, and it's always timed just before his Erotica events. There's no intrinsic reason for a porn magnate to have to be slimy and greasy - just be honest and up front about what you do. Own it.