Two years ago, she was walking in a Bowling Green park when she passed a pair of less-than-alluring men — “DD-boobed, hairy-backed,” as she describes them — who’d stripped off their shirts to beat the heat. Bourne was horrified. “Theirs were bigger than mine,” she says.
So in an act of civil disobedience — or perhaps just as an icebreaker — she ditched her own shirt, only to be nabbed by police. They lectured her about modesty, then cited her for indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.
Bourne paid her fines. But when she researched park rules, she discovered they also required men to wear shirts. So she returned with a couple of friends, a vegetarian picnic basket, and a sign-up sheet for the “Titty Committee,” her legal-defense fund.
Police cited her again. But rather than cough up another $250, Bourne appealed. Now she’s waiting for an appeals court to decide if her rights to free expression and equal protection were violated. “If I win, I will have set a precedent,” says Bourne. “You won’t be allowed to cite women for this.”
Not exactly, says Bowling Green prosecutor Steve Callejas, who doesn’t see any constitutional nobility in her gesture. “It’s not a political statement,” he says. “It’s just attention-getting. It’s a nuisance.”
Rodney Fleming, Bourne’s lawyer, naturally disagrees, though he admits that his client may be overreaching on the import of her case. “This will not have far-reaching effects on our society,” he says.
Bourne now lives in Portland, Oregon, and is reveling in the more live-and-let-live vibe of her new home. She’s already seen a few ladyfolk strolling topless. “People will only look at you funny if it’s winter,” she says.
Cleveland’s Unluckiest Man
Advice: When you hear the chimes of an ice-cream truck coming your way, run. It could be driven by William Isaac. His bad luck may be contagious.
First, Isaac was busted on felony possession charges. Though he was acquitted, bureaucratic follies kept the charges on his record.
Then, while driving his ice-cream truck last year, he witnessed a man robbing his boss at gunpoint. So he testified against the gunman, Reuben Rankin, thus making himself a new enemy. Rankin took revenge by arranging for crack to be planted on Isaac’s truck, then having his mom tip off the cops.
His trifecta of ill fate was complete when Daniel Jopek arrived on the scene. After shooting an unarmed man in 2004, the good officer apparently hadn’t learned that the limelight is best left to Hollywood guys. So he called Channel 19 reporter Ed Gallek to tip him on the Epic Ice Cream Bust, then waited two hours for the news crew to show. When Isaac finally went to jail, Channel 19 went to his mother’s house and grilled her for bad parenting.
Just another day in the fast-paced news business, boys and girls.
When Isaac was acquitted a second time, he complained to police brass about Jopek’s lust for publicity. The good officer denied calling Channel 19, but seemed to be unaware of something called “basic investigatory methods.” Cell-phone records quickly proved he was lying. In June, the Police Review Board ruled that Jopek and his partner, Hanz Turner, had acted unprofessionally, and recommended 10-day suspensions.
Isaac is now hoping to pawn off his bad luck on another — namely Jopek. “I’m not going to give up till I get Jopek’s badge.”
The envelope, please
In June, Scene pondered the dilemma of the Rock Hall as it begins to cull inductees from a newer era of music, when the definition of “rock” wasn’t so clear [“Rock the Vote,” June 20]. Would the committee opt for big-selling pop acts like Madonna over true rock innovators like Dinosaur Jr.? Would disco be blacklisted, while hip-hop reigned supreme?
The hall answered on September 27 with its list of 2008 nominees. Despite never writing a rock song in her life, Madonna is up for her first nomination. The Beastie Boys also received their first nod, despite the fact that dozens of earlier hip-hop innovators — everyone from NWA to Public Enemy — are still waiting.
Donna Summer and Chic were also nominated, proving that the hall won’t be forsaking rock’s traditional nemesis, disco. And sorry, Kiss fans, but your heroes aren’t on the list. You’ll just have to be content to rock and roll all night, and party every day.
Of the nine nominees, less than half can be vaguely described as rockers. Among the remaining inductees were the Dave Clark Five, ’50s crooners the Ventures, balladeer Leonard Cohen, and the poet laureate of Indiana, John Mellencamp. While it isn’t a horrible sampling, most people believe the Ventures are a discontinued Chevy minivan.
Shameless self-promotion
Last week, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists decided to suspend all critical judgment, presenting Scene with nine awards for alleged journalistic excellence.
Our humble rag was once again named Ohio’s best weekly — narrowly edging out Maurice Clarett’s Guide to Not Getting Shanked — and even won more awards than The Plain Dealer (six), despite their being way better looking than we are. The winners:
– Lisa Rab, first place, newsmaker profile; second place, environmental coverage
– Denise Grollmus, first place, arts reporting
– Elaine Cicora, first place, arts profile
– Erich Burnett, first place, headline writing
– Joe Tone, first place, sports coverage
– Rebecca Meiser, second place, medical/science reporting
– Jared Klaus, second place, children’s issues.
This article appears in Oct 3-9, 2007.
First Punch,
Love ‘ya to death, BUT, your crack about most readers thinking that the Ventures is a ‘discontinued Chevy minivan” is about as accurate as your description: “50s crooners the Ventures”. The Ventures were an early sixties instrumental group.
But then again, who cares?
Rich
“’50s crooners the Ventures”
what? crooners? the ventures were an instrumental surf band, influenced the beach boys, etc etc. crooners? (i’m 27 by the way) you people are really stupid sometimes. better writer or better editor, i’m not sure which you need…
The Ventures a 50’s do wop group? What !
The Ventures are awesome surf band !! ” Walk dont run” is a classic surf song. Out of the 100s of show I ‘ve seen I have to say the Venture reunion (minus origianl drummer who passed on, but his son played) was one the tightist musical act I’ve seen.
Lorien Bourne has a jones for protest, be the topic racism or mega-farms. She’s also served vegetarian chow to the homeless. So you might say she’s not the kind who shrinks when exposed to injustice — even if it means exposing herself.
Two years ago, she was walking in a Bowling Green park when she passed a pair of less-than-alluring men — “DD-boobed, hairy-backed,” as she describes them — who’d stripped off their shirts to beat the heat. Bourne was horrified. “Theirs were bigger than mine,” she says.
WAS THIS TRULY LORIEN’S ISSUE AT THE TIME THE FACT THAT THESE MEN WERE NOT ALLURING WITH LARGE BREAST BUT THEY WERE LESS THEN ALLURING WITH LARGE BREAST. DOES APPEARANCE OR THE SIZE OF ONES BREASTS REALLY MATTER??? YES IF THESE BREASTS WERE ON A WOMEN WHO WAS NOT ALLURING YOU WOULD NOT HEAR MEN MAKE THIS STATEMENT OR REMOVE HIS SHIRT TO MAKE A POINT. MEN DO NOT COMPARE THEIR BREASTS WITH EACH OTHERS OR WITH WOMENS BREASTS. ON THE OTHER HAND IF SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL AND HER BREASTS WERE NOT SO LARGE THEY STILL WOULD NOT COMPLAIN. MEN ARE VISUALLY EXCITED BY BREASTS AND I THINK THAT IS WHY WOMEN COVER UP???
So in an act of civil disobedience — or perhaps just as an icebreaker — she ditched her own shirt, only to be nabbed by police. They lectured her about modesty, then cited her for indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.
SO AT THE TIME LORINE REMOVED HER SHIRT SHE KNEW SHE WAS BREAKING THE LAW. OR MAYBE LORIEN JUST WANT AN OPINION ON WHAT EVERYONE THOUGHT OF HER BREASTS. BY THE WAY YOU NEVER DID TELL US HOW BIG LORIEN’S BREASTS ARE. MAYBE THAT WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE. YOU KNOW IF THEY ARE– C OR LARGER THEN THERE IS A PROBLEM AND IF THEY ARE– A OR SMALLER WHO GIVES A DAM. SO WAS LORIEN BUSTED FOR BREAKING A LAW OR FOR THE SIZE OF HER BREASTS?
Bourne paid her fines. But when she researched park rules, she discovered they also required men to wear shirts. So she returned with a couple of friends, a vegetarian picnic basket, and a sign-up sheet for the “Titty Committee,” her legal-defense fund.
DID LORIEN AND HER FRIENDS EXPOSE THEIR BREASTS. WHY DOESN’T SHE JUST PUT HER BREASTS ON E BAY OR YOU TUBE OR SOMEWHERE ON THE INTERNET SO SHE CAN GET THE EXPOSER SHE WANTS. I REALLY DO NOT THINK THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE OF EQUALITY BUT MAYBE LORIEN IS A LITTLE NARRCOSISTIC WHEN IT COMES TO WANTING TO BE NOTICED. SO LORIEN KOWINGLY BROKE THE LAW FOR THE SECOND TIME. I REALLY DO NOT THINK LORIEN IS THINKING WITH HER BRAIN BUT WITH INSTEAD SHE IS THINKING WITH HER BREASTS…YOU KNOW KIND OF LIKE THE SAYING MEN THINK WITH THE WRONG HEAD..GET MY DRIFT..PLEASE LORIEN USE YOUR BRAIN LOCATED IN YOUR HEAD ON THIS ONE AND MAYBE I COULD HAVE TAKEN THIS SERIOUSLY.
BY THE WAY THEY HAVE STRIP JOINTS FOR NARRCOSISTIC WOMEN MAYBE LORIEN SHOULD CONSIDER THIS A BETTER WAY OF EXPOSE HER OPINIONS. I AM SURE THE MEN THEIR WILL BE MORE THEN HAPPY TO GIVE HER THEIR OPINION ON THIS SUBJECT.
Police cited her again. But rather than cough up another $250, Bourne appealed. Now she’s waiting for an appeals court to decide if her rights to free expression and equal protection were violated. “If I win, I will have set a precedent,” says Bourne. “You won’t be allowed to cite women for this.”
WAS LORIEN CITED FOR BEING A WOMEN WITH BARE BREASTS OR WAS LORIEN CITED FOR TAKING OFF HER SHIRT AND EXPOSING HER BARE BREASTS IN A PUBLIC PLACE OR WAS LORIEN CITED FOR TAKING OFF HER SHIRT. NOW AS FAR AS THE MEN GO THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALSO CHARGED AND THEY WERE NOT. SO THIS WOULD LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE POLICE DID NOT KNOW THAT THIS LAW ALSO APPLIED TO MEN. MAYBE NOW THAT EVERYONE IS AWEAR OF THE LAW EVERYONE CAN CONDUCT THEMSELVES ACCORDINGLY AND THE POLICE WILL HAVE TO START ARRESTING MEN NOW THAT THEY KNOW THIS LAW ALSO APPLIES TO MEN.
NOW ON THE OTHER HAND LORIEN MAYBE YOUR TIME WILL BE BETTER SPENT MAKING SURE THESE MEN DO NOT CHANGE THIS LAW TO ALLOW THEM TO REMOVE THEIR SHIRTS LEGALLY. NOW LORINE FIGHT FOR THIS LAW NOT TO BE CHANGED AND KEEP YOUR BREASTS COVERED IF YOU WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
Not exactly, says Bowling Green prosecutor Steve Callejas, who doesn’t see any constitutional nobility in her gesture. “It’s not a political statement,” he says. “It’s just attention-getting. It’s a nuisance.”
I MAY AGREE WITH THIS TO A CERTAIN EXTENT BUT STEVE CALLEJAS SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A SIGN POSTED AT THE ENTERANCE OF THE PARK OR IN THE LOCAL NEWS PAPER CLEARLY LISTING ALL THE LAW/RULES AND REGULATIONS OF BOWLING GREEN PARK. THIS WILL PREVENT ANY UP COMING LAW SUITS AND PROBLEMS.
Rodney Fleming, Bourne’s lawyer, naturally disagrees, though he admits that his client may be overreaching on the import of her case. “This will not have far-reaching effects on our society,” he says.
I TRUELY THINK THAT SOCIETY NEEDS TO TAKE A CLEAR STAND ON THIS SUBJECT AND I FOR ONE BELIEVE COVER UP. IF PEOPLE NEED TO GET NAKED THEN HAVE PLACES FOR THEM TO GO. THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES IN THIS WORLD FOR WOMEN TO FIGHT FOR…EQUAL PAY, CHILDCARE, CARE FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED AND THE LIST GOES ON…
Bourne now lives in Portland, Oregon, and is reveling in the more live-and-let-live vibe of her new home. She’s already seen a few ladyfolk strolling topless. “People will only look at you funny if it’s winter,” she says.
LORIEN THEIR ARE MANY OUTLETS FOR YOU AND YOUR BREASTS TO EXPRESS YOURSELFS FIND THEM AND STAY OUT OF MY FACE. I HAVE A PAIR OF BREASTS OF MY OWN AND I HAVE NO NEED TO EXPOSE THEM OR ANYOTHER PRIVATE PARTS OF MY BODY FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. I THINK WHEN WE ARE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR PRIVATE PARTS AND NOT TO LET ANYONE TOUCH/VIEW/OR FILM OR PHOTOGRAPH THEM THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR GIVES OFF MIX MESSAGES. DO THE LITTLE CHILDREN A FAVOUR AND KEEP YOUR INABITIONS TO YOURSELF AND IN A PRIVATE PLACE AWAY FROM THEM. WE DO NOT ALL RAISE OUR CHILDREN IN THE SAME WAY THAT IS WHY THERE ARE LAW IN THIS SOCITY THAT APPLY TO ALL OF US.