When the slogan “Keep Portland Weird” comes up, airport security protests are probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Still, weird is weird, especially a recent incident in which a man was arrested at Portland International Airport after he stripped naked in front of an airport security guard.
When the slogan “Keep Portland Weird” comes up, airport security protests are probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Still, weird is weird, especially a recent incident in which a man was arrested at Portland International Airport after he stripped naked in front of an airport security guard.
Stripping in public is generally considered public indecency and is usually punishable by law. John Brennan, a businessman from Portland, was found not guilty of public indecency on the grounds that he stripped as a form of protest, which is protected speech under the First Amendment. Removing one’s clothing in public is a pretty drastic form of nonviolent protest, and it calls into question why Brennan felt it necessary to do so.
The public has scrutinized the Transportation Security Administration since it started more invasive security screening processes. Enhanced screening procedures, first introduced in November 2010, allow TSA employees to view X-ray images of passengers through the use of Advanced Imaging Technology. This, coupled with a more invasive pat-down process, has been pissing off the public since its inception.
Thousands of complaints have been lodged against the TSA. Women have complained that they were singled out by TSA employees for pat-down searches due to the size of their breasts; children have been subjected to pat-down searches—both have resulted in many sexual harassment charges against the TSA.
In 2008 Mandi Hamlin was forced to remove her nipple rings after they set off a metal detector wand held by a female TSA employee. When summoned to assist, male TSA employees told Hamlin that she would have to remove her nipple rings before being allowed on the plane. She was unable to remove the rings by hand and was forced to use pliers instead. Hamlin also had a belly button ring that she was not forced to remove prior to entering the plane.
Although Hamlin’s incident took place two years prior to the introduction of the more advanced screening technology, it is just one example of the TSA’s invasion of personal property and space.
The need for security is understandable; the United States has had its own share of transportation-related security threats, but patting down babies and forcing nipple ring removal? Come on. Even when it comes to security, these methods go too far.
In Brennan’s case, he was just trying to board a plane when an explosives wand notified TSA employees that he was supposedly carrying nitrates. When TSA employees refused to let him board the plane, Brennan started taking his clothing off to show that he wasn’t carrying a bomb. “I know the irony of taking off my clothes to protect my privacy,” Brennan said in an interview. “They’re getting close to seeing us naked, so I thought I’d up the ante.” Brennan said his actions weren’t premeditated, but the TSA is investigating the situation to determine if Brennan interfered with the screening process in order to make a political statement.
Brennan is not the only one protesting invasive search procedures. Since 2010, people have rallied together to create websites showing viral videos of checkpoint pat-down searches gone wrong, and many victims of more brutal TSA treatment are coming forward to talk about their experiences.
Security is important, and knowing that we can travel safely from one airport to the next is great, but security also comes in the form of feeling safe about the way we’re being treated. If passengers can expect to be groped, seen in the nude through the use of X-rays and harassed by TSA employees, they won’t want to fly anymore.
The TSA should put more value on the individual safety of its customers. Without it, there’s no airline industry, and I for one would really like to go to Paris someday.
