A 61-year-old woman who wore a phallic costume to a “No Kings” protest in Fairhope , Ala., on Saturday was arrested after being held down by police officers.
Jeana Renea Gamble, 61, was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Video of the arrest posted to Bluesky showed three officers holding her to the ground amid criticism from spectators. The video went viral over the weekend and led to widespread criticism of the officers.
The Fairhope Police Department said in court documents that they received a complaint about the costume. In a statement posted to Facebook on Monday, the department said an officer “observed an individual in a phallic costume near the Baldwin Square Shopping Center.”
“The officer approached the woman and requested that she remove the costume, which is deemed obscene in a public setting; however, she refused to comply,” the statement said.
The rally was one of over a dozen protests happening in the state on Saturday. The protests were peaceful with no major incidents reported.
A message seeking additional comment was left with the Fairhope Police Department Monday. Attempts to find contact information for Gamble were not immediately successful.
Johnston Tisdale, director of Indivisible Baldwin County, the organization that sponsored the protest, said in a statement Monday Gamble’s arrest violates the First Amendment.
“Ms. Gamble was peacefully expressing her point of view on Saturday. Her violent arrest for expressing herself in ways the police found rude is indefensible, morally and legally,” Tisdale said. “Public officials must take seriously their duty to uphold the First Amendment. Their complete failure to do so in this situation runs against the free expression values that created the city of Fairhope and against the liberty guarantees enshrined in Alabama law and the United States Constitution.
Resisting arrest is Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of $3,000. Disorderly conduct is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail and a fine of $500.
According to court documents, Gamble is set to make an appearance in Fairhope Municipal Court on Nov. 5.
–Andrea Tinker, Alabama Reflector
Fernando Melendez says
Democrats have lost it, their imploding.
Steve V says
Yet SCOTUS has ruled in Brady v. Maryland that you can resist an unlawful arrest and defend yourself with force doing so, and are entitled to a jury instruction to that effect.
JimboXYZ says
1st we have Jacob Chansley, now Jeana Gamble ? The mental illness at these rallies/protests is astonishing. There’s free speech & then there’s just demonstrating to the world that there’s too much wrong that modern medicine can’t fix. At 61, at this point in her life, she made that brilliant decision choosing her vast array of fashion wardrobe, in that moment, that this would be appropriate for the occasion ? That she could actually pull off her fashion faux pax. It just keeps getting better each day.
Deborah Coffey says
OMG. But, Trump can go on national TV and say, “I grab ’em by the pussy” and he’s not obscene? No, the woman had it right. He’s a di*k! The cops got it wrong.
Al says
The left has no class. Hiding under the first amendment doesn’t give you the right to be obscene, losers.
Laurel says
Hilarious! Two cops in the process of an inflatable penis take down! 🤣 OMG! Did they throw a condom over her? 😆 Maybe DeSantis will pull a giant condom over the state of Florida! Free Florida! 😂 I can’t stop laughing! If you want to see something funny, look at our phallic symbol state Capital, two domes and a skyscraper dead center! Hilarious!
Laurel says
How many nuts does it take to take down a penis? 🤣😂 To take down that penis must have been hard on those cops! I gotta catch my breath! I want a copy of the report. There goes hubby’s holloweeny outfit!
Skibum says
Cops I’ve worked with don’t usually gravitate toward an erect penis, but those two Alabama cops jumped right on it! Aside from the humor of it, I’m sure glad that those two officers reacted so quickly to save society from such a heinous criminal. At least one of them should be given the moniker Dick Tracy!
Republican Dave says
Great use of taxpayers money, I feel safer now! Great dicktective work! They caught the dickhead of Antifa.
MM says
WELL, ALABAMA….IN THE SOUTH, PROBABLY WINKING AT SOMEONE COULD GET YOU THROW TO THE GROUND AND HANDCUFFED. IT’S A DISGRACE. THE CHARGES SHOULD BE DROPPED AND THOSE OFFICERS SHOULD BE FINED OR BETTER YET SUSPENDED. WE CAN’T HAVE A GESTAPO IN OUR COUNTRY, NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY WANT TO PLEASE TRUMP. AMERICANS BETTER STAND UP TO THIS MAN OR WE WILL ALL BE LIVING UNDER THE THUMB OF THESE VIOLENT AUTHORITY FIGURES.
Laurel says
Well, Skibum, you, me and Republican Dave are the only ones who saw the humor in this take down! I still laugh every time I think of it. If it were me in that suit, I wouldn’t take it off in the jail cell! Could you picture? 😂
Sherry says
fernando,jimbo,al. . . You are so transparent and myopic! Just where was your outrage when people drove around Flagler country with huge “Fu$% Biden” and other disgusting signs on their pickup trucks? Or, was that you?
Tracy Marie says
Roll Tide
Skibum says
Laurel, I have to wonder if the woman’s name was Tracy. That would be a riot.
I can see the story line going something like this: “An Alabama woman named Tracy wearing an erect penis costume in public tried hard to prolong an obvious arousal, only to attract the attention of nearby Alabama cops. One cop who we will refer to as Dick Tracy, was shown on a bystander’s video leaping onto the hard penis, deflating it until it was completely flacid, and then the cops handcuffed and arrested the dickless Tracy. Nobody was injured in the incident other than the bruised and grass stained penis.” – LOL!
DaleL says
Jeana Gamble was wearing a blowup costume. It has been described as representing an enormous penis. It really does not seem to look very much like a human penis. In the pictures I have seen, there isn’t any veining, foreskin or alternatively circumcision scar, distinct glans, or other details which would cause me to believe it looks much like a penis.
I doubt very much that she can be found guilty of anything except poor taste. The cops should have exercised more restraint and appear to need some crowd control and first amendment rights training.
Meanwhile, our “President” posted picture depicting himself wearing a crown, flying a military jet, and bombing Americans with feces. There is poor taste and then there is disgusting.
Skibum says
DaleL, it is a good thing that Musk’s space port is located in Texas and not puritanical Alabama. Otherwise, every time Musk’s phalic shaped flyer spurted into the air, mothers might be seen clutching their bibles to their chests while yelling for the kids to “AVERT YOUR EYES FROM THAT HELLISH DAMNATION!”
Laurel says
Skibum: It took three cops! Three, to take down a woman in an inflated penis! Her sandals are sticking out. What kind of fight could she put up inside that thing? I’m still laughing! That just made my day.
As for our state capital, it is almost impossible to find a good picture of it on the internet! Almost all are cropped, or shot at an angle that diminishes the obvious. I wonder why? When driving up to it, though, it is hilarious! The domes are very noticeable! To ad to the fun is, the shaft has two high speed elevators that go up and down all day! Been there, done that.
https://www.floridacapitol.myflorida.com/
I better stop now, before FlaglerLive kicks me off. ;)