Topless Woman On Park Point Says Duluth Laws Need Defining
Michelle Bennett is challenging the wording of a vague indecent exposure law in Minnesota and Duluth.
Fox 21 News is reporting that she’s been going topless at Park Point beach for two years and never had problems until last month when an individual called the police saying that she had asked Michelle to put her top on because it made her kids feel uncomfortable. When Bennett declined that's when the person called the authorities.
When the police got there, they couldn't really arrest her because the language in the law for indecent exposure is very vague. Bennett was armed with the Minnesota law that states a person can not expose their private parts. The MN Law doesn't really explain anything, because it doesn't state that breasts are private parts. It also says it isn't against the law for a woman to breastfeed in public, and that doesn't say that the woman can or can not be topless. The law does say that a person can be arrested if they are displaying their body in gross lewdness or lascivious behavior, which Bennett was not doing. She was tanning.
Another law defines what is explicit, here. This doesn't say Michelle Bennett is doing anything wrong either, she wasn't trying to call attention to herself. Here is more of a definition of what can't be shown in public, but again, doesn't say anything about being topless, here.
Michelle Bennett has been doing this for two years, I think after this incident she will probably look at her surroundings and be more careful. Fox 21 said she contacted the Duluth City Attorney and Duluth Mayor Emily Larson but has not heard back. They also went on to say that since this is a MN Law that only MN legislators can change the law and make it more definitive.
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