With threats of arrest and further punishment looming, University of Michigan students were much more hesitant than usual to participate in the school’s “Naked Mile,” an annual nude run by students through the streets of Ann Arbor.
Barely two dozen students participated in the run, a far cry from the 400 entrants in last year’s race, said Department of Public Safety spokesperson Diane Brown, who added that the number of spectators had dropped by almost a third.
Police arrested eight people – four for indecent exposure, four for disorderly conduct – while the DPS made four arrests.
Additionally, the Ann Arbor News, which called the event an attraction “we’ll be glad to see the end of,” reported that one participant had filed a sexual assault claim.
Some students blamed the cold weather for the lack of participants in the race, a charge disputed by Brown, who said that there was snow on the ground during last year’s run.
But most eyewitnesses, according to a report in the Michigan Daily student newspaper, felt that heightened attempts by the police to prevent students from participating is what ultimately turned off most would-be streakers.
Simon said that more than 100 students organized a sit-down to protest the actions of the police.