Waiting for the punchline

St Petersburg Times ^ | Saturday, July 26, 2008 | Stephanie Garry

[keving]

ST. PETERSBURG — The night started with a complaint about a giant penis statue.

Before it was over, police had pinned the owner of the art gallery to the ground and taken him to jail.

"Oh, my God," said gallery owner Bill Schramm, his glasses falling off in the scuffle. "This is the city's response to a penis. That's fabulous."

Officers arrested Schramm and another man after a raid Friday night on the Erotic Lounge in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg. It wasn't the statue that they were arrested for.

Instead, investigators said they saw a nude man in the gallery, a violation of a city ordinance that prohibits places that serve alcohol from allowing the public display of genitals.

[keving]

Story could have gone in many directions. Gallery seems to be full of surprizes. Dont leave the light on...

[the invisib1e hand]

Before it was over, police had pinned the owner of the art gallery to the ground and taken him to jail.

They do that to everyone in Pinellas County.

[Ken522]

Them folks down on Central Avenue sure are a racy bunch ...

[gitmo]

Good Lord!

[Mr. K]

THIS is what ‘accepting’ homosexuality gets you

A queer wasting valuable police time dealing with a public display of a penis, and crying how ‘fabulous’ it is.

[rfp1234]

"This is the city's response to a penis. That's fabulous."

[Retired Chemist]

about a giant penis statue

Isn't there one of those in front of the Clinton Presidential Library?

[rfp1234]

In an unrelated development...

[goldfinch]

Instead, investigators said they saw a nude man in the gallery, a violation of a city ordinance that prohibits places that serve alcohol from allowing the public display of genitals.

So nude men are ok in Burger King

[kingu]

I love the brainless responses. Keep your penis statue in your gallery, no one’s got a problem. Cover your chandelier, again, no problem. As for the petting zoo inside, honestly couldn’t care less - private property, they can do pretty much whatever they consent to, in my opinion.

But the street isn’t private property.

[STE=Q]

“Officers sat him on a chair under the gallery’s overhang while they searched the shop and detained the customers, telling them there was a liquor violation and asking to see identification.”

Sounds like the owner doesn’t understand the word ‘payoff.’

Maybe after a couple of ‘visits’ by the cops he’ll understand.

Then everything will be ‘fabulous’!

STE=Q

[Tunehead54]

Bump! ;-)

[Krankor]

Inside, police found a nude man, Joshua M. Culotta, suspended from the ceiling in an aerial harness that Schramm earlier called a "chandelier."
Officers said they arrested Culotta, 26, for violating the city ordinance. The man, who is deaf, seemed confused and told a reporter, "I was just modeling." As officers handcuffed him, he started to cry.

Hee hee hee.

[Sherman Logan]

I had a job across the street from this place just last week.

Glad I didn’t drop in.

[martin_fierro]

[tlb]

>>>ST. PETERSBURG — The night started with a complaint about a giant penis statue.

Some neighbor being a dick.

>>>Before it was over, police had pinned the owner of the art gallery to the ground and taken him to jail.

Going down in Florida history as the great penis uprising.

[Daffynition]

Man dressed as penis disrupts graduation

Life imitating art ... or is it art imitating life ... I dunno ... I get so confused.

[Brainhose]

I think everyone can guess what his reaction to a penis is.