Wednesday, April 18, 2001

By JO COLLINS MATHIS
NEWS STAFF REPORTER

About 7,000 people waited two hours in 30-degree weather to watch about 24 naked college students run down the street Tuesday night.

By any measure, the 15th annual Naked Mile was a bust.

"Our efforts to put an end to this were even more successful than we had hoped," said Sgt. Mike Logghe, Ann Arbor Police Department spokesman. About 800 students ran naked through the streets just three years ago, before the AAPD began to crack down on the tradition marking the last day of spring classes at the University of Michigan. "For as many spectators as there are, there were very few participants. Once people realize there's nothing to see, they'll stop coming."

That's not to say there was no drama.

Students formed sit-ins in intersections, booed at police when they threatened to arrest someone seen taking off their clothes, and chanted "Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!" when they spotted an officer on a rooftop taking pictures.

Ann Arbor police and U-M's Department of Public Safety officers kept their promise to arrest any student stripping off their clothes, and that threat - and perhaps the unusually cold weather - kept numbers of participants down, even if the crowd was large.

One sexual assault was reported late Tuesday night by a woman who said she was walking along South University Avenue when a man grabbed her breast, Logghe said. She said she confronted the man, and he claimed he thought she was his girlfriend, then walked off, police said. He has not been identified.

Twelve people were arrested, including five for indecent exposure, four for disorderly conduct, and others for possession of marijuana, interfering with an arrest and minor in possession of alcohol. One spectator was taken into custody after he followed officers who were making arrests, screaming at them to stop, and grabbed an officer by her sweater, police said. Another man was detained after he urinated in front of the crowd, police said. U-M police officers also plan to seek warrants for four naked women near the Regents Plaza Cube, who were identified and released.

The first lone runner took off at 11:15, but it was a while before another was able to escape the eyes of police. Then a few others followed, taking off from various points along South University Avenue. The traditional route through the Diag was closed for construction, and runners tried to make it to the Michigan Union.

Sgt. Andrew Zazula of the AAPD said the crowd waiting at the union was disappointed. "They got tired of waiting around for nothing," he said.

When senior Chris McWatters started to strip, he was stopped by a police officer who threatened arrest. He put his pants back on, then waited shirtless on the curb for another chance.

"This is the third year I've done this, but the first year I had any problem," he said. "Who am I hurting? I'm very, very cold, but you know what? I'm a senior. I have no more classes. I'm graduating from the University of Michigan, one of the finest universities in the country. I just want to run and enjoy myself."

About 30 minutes later, McWatters could be seen running naked down the street, smiling, as the crowd cheered him on.

By 12:30 a.m., it was all over.

U-M student Michael Simon is angry about the way the Naked Mile was handled this year: "They're not our parents. I'm disappointed the police are putting their sense of morality on the student body."

But Diane Brown, spokeswoman for the University of Michigan's Department of Public Safety, said most students realize U-M cares about their safety.

"We believe the students got the message that this is a dangerous event," said Brown.

From his chair atop his hot dog stand at South University and East University avenues, Sebastian Escalada didn't get to see as many naked women as he had hoped. But all was not lost.

"We sold a lot of hot dogs," he said.

Staff reporter Amalie Nash contributed to this report. Staff reporter Jo Collins Mathis can be reached at (734) 994-6849 or by e-mail at jmathis@annarbornews.com.