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On June 24, thousands of people got naked and rode bicycles through the streets of Portland. The next day, we published several dozen photos of the riders. The photos immediately sparked debate.
Eva Blake, via Facebook: "Did you really ride the Nike bike with no underwear?"
Nikki Gattuccio-Sternberger, via Facebook: "What's lewd about being nude? It's a naked human body. We've all got the same parts, just differently proportioned. The U.S. sure is uptight about naked bodies. I think that's the weirdest part about the naked bike ride. It's just skin, people."
Kenda Davis, in response: "It's all about what is socially acceptable, and [to] be naked in public in our society is unacceptable, so this kind of thing gets a ton of attention. What's so confusing about that?"
Anita Smith, via Facebook: "It's indecent and ugly! You can't walk around children without having something to cover your private parts, so why is it OK to ride on streets uncovered! Portland should be sued for indecent exposure!"
Hazel Hasselhoff, in response: "Calm down, Anita. It's just a penis…Like, 50 percent of children even have them."
Joshua Fisher, in response: "It's funny how we teach children to be afraid of the human body (note that no one in this bike ride was accused of harassing children) but we don't teach them to fear death, war, violence and evil. We teach them to glorify the violence of the world, yet fear their own and other people's biological make up. We are a truly backwards species."
Bryan M. Vance, Oregon Public Broadcasting photographer, on Twitter: "Gather 'round, kids. It's time for a quick lesson. Photographers do not need your consent or permission to photograph you at public events. Now, that said, most of us will respect your wishes if you kindly ask us not to photograph you, but bullying us after the fact is not cool. And claiming that a news outlet published a photo of you participating in a world famous public event without your permission is a moot point. If you don't want your photo taken in public, KINDLY ask a photog not to, or stay home."
Ricky Hower, via Facebook: "The most disappointing thing about this is the fact that so many people aren't wearing helmets."
CORRECTION
A story on how Portland transportation policy ("How Can Portland Justify Adding Car Lanes on I-5?" WW, June 14, 2017) incorrectly stated that Commissioner Nick Fish's office declined requests for him to comment. WW failed to make sure Fish received the chance to respond. WW regrets the error.
CLARIFICATION
Last week's cover story ("Barbarians at the Laurelhurst Gates," WW, June 21, 2017) quoted a homeless man who said he was employed as a cook at New Seasons Market. Greg Black says he did work at New Seasons while living in his truck. But a New Seasons spokeswoman says he stopped working for the grocery chain in May.
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