FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT: Joseph Sharkey – (408) 506-4948, wnbrnyc@gmail.com
PRESS CONTACT: Benjamin Shepard – (917)586-7952
“More Nudes, No Nukes!!!”
“More Ass, Less Gas!!” “Love Your Body, Ride Your Bike!”
These are just some of the chants you’ll hear as New York City joins cyclists in cities around the globe for the 8th year of the World Naked Bike Ride, 2011. A fun and liberating protest against indecent exposure to toxic pollution, nuclear disaster, reckless driving, and police harassment of bicyclists, WNBR NYC (World Naked Bike Ride New York City) celebrates alternatives to automobile & oil dependence for its a third year rolling.
NEW YORK, NY (June 11, 2011) —
What: A “bare-as-you-dare” bike ride to raise awareness around the dangers posed to the world and human bodies by nuclear energy, automobile and oil dependence.
WHEN: Saturday, June 11, 2011
3 PM: Body painting and socializing starting.
5 PM: Riders assemble, depart no later than 6 PM.
WHERE: East River Park, Manhattan, at Delancey St.
HOW: Volunteers and participants collaborate to create the event, including body painting prior to ride. Final route will be communicated to riders who show up only. Opportunities for press photography and interviews on route and post-event to be determined. Check web page (http://bit.ly/Bi7aY) for updates.
3rd Annual WNBR NYC
On June 11, 2011, people in cities across the Northern Hemisphere will gather to ride bikes and expose their bodies, many painted with messages raising awareness of the indecent exposure to toxic pollution and reckless driving. The ongoing nuclear disaster in Fukishima, Japan, and the looming danger of Indian Point nuclear plant in New York are inspiring many to participate in NYC’s 3rd year of WNBR, as the date coincides with a worldwide day of action against nuclear power.
The dangers vulnerable street users face in local traffic is also a focus, as cyclists find themselves the target of media scapegoating and an NYPD crackdown in recent months, though motor vehicles are taking lives weekly on the city streets.
WNBR promotes positive body-image and freedom from shame, and promises to be diverse gathering: bicyclists, artists, safer-streets advocates, performers, renewable-energy activists, LGBTQ, nudists, civil-rights supporters, and other ordinary New Yorkers.
Nudity is not requisite; riders are encouraged to come “as bare as you dare,” dressing for comfort and fun while mindful of relevant local laws and enforcement practices. Both women and men are free to go topless in NYC. All forms of human-powered transportation are welcome. Participants will engage in body painting, bicycle decoration, modeling, music and poetry to create a carnival atmosphere prior to the ride at the starting location in East River Park in Manhattan. A fun route will be communicated to participants the day of the ride, which will proceed at a brisk pace through the boroughs of New York City with the aim of maximizing exposure to signs and slogans painted upon participants’ bodies. The official WNBR NYC after-party will be hosted by environmental group Time’s Up! in Williamsburg.
“That was the most liberating experience ever…. meeting so many cool people, painting and riding the bike with [WNBR] was just amazing… I wish I was in New York to be part of this again…Have a lot of fun and make sure to enlighten many people of the damage being done to our planet.” gushed WNBR NYC 2010 participant and volunteer Alexandra Cifuentes.
“Riding a bike could be a practical action to be independent and being free from the contemporary life that is highly dependent on [nuclear] energy,” says video artist Yukimi Otagiri of Queens. Inspired to take action by the situation in Japan, the newcomer sees WNBR as part of a crucial choice: “It gives us a power to choose our own energy, and asks us if we could choose energies that have smell of death…Being naked on the street is the response of the oppression from the power.”
“I go on every group bike ride and I had the most fun on the naked ride!” said Rich Johnson of South Brooklyn, who participated in 2010 and is volunteering towards this year’s effort.
This ride is collaboratively organized by participants, through a wiki page ( http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=New_York_City ) where the latest ride information may be found. Promotional videos, images and other content can be found at http://wnbrnyc.tumblr.com . Please contact wnbrnyc@gmail.com for press illustrations and/or photos. For the most up-to-date info please check:
http://bit.ly/Bi7aY
Follow WNBR NYC on Twitter @wnbrnyc RSVP on the Facebook event page at::
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167215453332726
