Posted on 11/29/2007 2:41:13 PM PST by SmithL
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO - The former San Francisco mayoral candidate and homeless taxi driver Grasshopper Alec Kaplan was scheduled to be arraigned today for climbing naked on top of his van and playing his guitar in the nude outside the San Mateo Convention Center.
Prosecutors are charging Kaplan, 37, with misdemeanor public nuisance. Court records did not indicate the outcome of the arraignment as of mid-day.
The alleged incident occurred near the convention center at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21 _ the day of the San Mateo County Democratic Presidential Straw Poll at the convention center.
"Apparently, he was on top of his van naked for about 10 or 15 minutes," said Deputy District Attorney Morley Pitt. "He told the police that he was from San Francisco and that he was extremely hot _ and he just got naked."
"He said that type of action is encouraged in San Francisco," Pitt added.
Law enforcement was alerted by a convention center employee who "called the cops and said, 'There's a naked guy on top of a purple van playing the guitar - and that kind of got the cops' attention," Pitt said.
The employee eventually persuaded Kaplan to step down off of his van before police arrived. By the time officers came on the scene, Kaplan was clothed and driving away in his trademark purple van, said Pitt.
Kaplan was cited and released on the day of the incident, which occurred two weeks before the election. Kaplan received 1,423 votes in his run for Mayor of San Francisco - just shy of one percent of the total vote.
Kaplan was recently convicted by a jury in San Francisco of driving his taxi without a taxicab medallion and without a public passenger vehicle permit, according to a spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Kaplan is currently out on bail for that case and awaiting sentencing on Dec. 3, she added. A separate jury in San Francisco is currently deliberating another case, where Kaplan was charged with battery and false imprisonment of a passenger, according to the spokeswoman.
A San Francisco weekly newspaper reported earlier this month that the homeless cab driver was arrested twice more during the mayoral campaign - once for allegedly camping out in front of former San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew's house and once for violating a restraining order against approaching Jew when Kaplan tried to speak at a board meeting.
Kaplan does not have a criminal record in San Mateo County, court records show.
"This is our fist contact with him and what contact it is!" Deputy Chief District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
The misdemeanor offense entitles Kaplan to a trial before his peers, Wagstaffe said.
"Knowing Mr. Kaplan's interest in getting attention, we are prepared for a jury trial," he added.
Whether Kaplan is convicted for public nuisance will most likely be determined by "whether the public thinks this is inappropriate," said Pitt.
Asked what song Kaplan was playing on the roof of his can, Pitt said he didn't know, then added, "I'm sure that will come out later down the road."
Kaplan is facing a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
“Look, no hands!”
that’s Dennis Kucinich’s chief of staff.
In anywhere but SF, this would be considered rather odd.
Whether Kaplan is convicted for public nuisance will most likely be determined by “whether the public thinks this is inappropriate,” said Pitt.
Well, in that case, why bother even to try him?
What kind of weirdo plays guitar on a van?
Purple Rain? :D
S H U D D E R
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