Nude PeTA Protesters In Redding

Northern California Painted PeTA protester demonstrated nude (or nearly) in downtown Redding By Dylan Darling ∙ March 19, 2009 A national animal rights group had a nude protest Thursday in downtown Redding. A member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals exhibited herself on the corner of Market and Tehama streets at noon, wearing nothing but body paint in a snakeskin design, said Holly Beal, a spokeswoman for the Norfolk, Va., based advocacy group. It’s a really interesting, eye-catching demo,” Beal said. “...It’s not something you see everyday ­ a naked girl painted like a snake.” Beal said that depending on a town’s decency laws, the painted PeTA member sometimes wears underwear beneath the paint. In Redding, a decision on whether a person is indecently exposing his or herself is based on the reaction of others, said Cpl. Brian Barner of the Redding Police Department. "It depends if you are offending someone,” he said. The protest is part of a PeTA tour of California. The group is urging shoppers not to buy products made with exotic-animal skins, Beal said. Those include snake, alligator and kangaroo skins. The protesters were in Chico today and plan to go to Eureka after they leave Redding, Beal said. Along with the painted protester, other PeTA members will be handing out fliers and holding signs that ask “Whose Skin Are You In?”