NAC Advisory - Battleboro, VT
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NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ADVISORY
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http://www.naturistaction.org
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Copyright 2007 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible
for its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or
redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its
entirety and without alteration.
DATE : August 5, 2007
SUBJECT: Brattleboro, Vermont
TO : All Naturists
Dear Naturist,
This is an Advisory from the Naturist Action Committee concerning
Brattleboro, Vermont.
BRIEF HISTORY AND DISCUSSION
During a heat wave last summer, the town of Brattleboro received national
media scrutiny for a local group of teenagers who liked to congregate
while partially or fully naked in a downtown parking lot. At the time,
Brattleboro’s Selectboard chose not to act, with the belief that the
nudity would cease when the chilly autumn weather arrived, which did
happen.
On July 6 of this year, a 68-year-old man walked through the downtown
area wearing only sandals and a fanny pack. The man told a reporter from
the local paper that he had planned his vacation in order to visit
Brattleboro because he had learned about their leniency towards public
nudity through the Internet. This happened to coincide with Brattleboro’s
Gallery Walk, a popular monthly event that business owners consider a
draw for tourists and their dollars.
After receiving many complaints from town residents and business owners,
Brattleboro’s Selectboard wrote an “emergency” temporary ordinance that
prohibits nudity in the downtown area, in the town park, in the village
of West Brattleboro, and also within 250 feet of a school or place of
worship. The Selectboard enacted this ordinance by a margin of 3 to 2 and
will consider making this ordinance permanent at their meeting on
Tuesday, August 7, 2007.
WHAT IS NAC DOING?
The Naturist Action Committee has been working to organize and support
Brattleboro residents who oppose the ordinance and will speak against
making the ordinance permanent.
NAC board member Virginia Schnee has provided support to these residents
in the form of talking points and brochures to distribute.
WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?
This is an advisory. NAC is asking that you NOT take action at this time,
and unless you are a resident of Brattleboro, that you NOT attend the
Selectboard meeting on Tuesday. Any participation from naturists outside
of Brattleboro and the surrounding Vermont towns, no matter how well
intentioned, would not be approved by the Selectboard and could seriously
jeopardize the carefully organized efforts of NAC to support local
residents.
MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Additional information and resources, including the complete text of the
ordinance and other links, are available with this NAC Action Alert on
the web site of the Naturist Action Committee.
Select “Alerts, Advisories & Updates” and find this NAC Advisory under
Current Advisories.
PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!
The Naturist Action Committee is a volunteer nonprofit organization that
exists to advance and protect the rights of naturists throughout North
America. Identifying and fighting bad local lawmaking is necessary, but
it’s expensive. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary
generosity of supporters like you. To donate to NAC, use the address
below:
NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903
Or call toll free (800) 886-7230 to donate by phone using your
MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card.
Or use your credit card to make a convenient online donation:
http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/
Thank you for choosing to make a difference.
Naturally,
Virginia Schnee
Board Member
Naturist Action Committee
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Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Director Bob Morton - execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Virginia Schnee - virginia@schnee.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com
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