Green Day's Billie
Joe Cited For Indecent Exposure
Billie Joe Armstrong pulled
a Jim Morrison on Tuesday (Nov. 21, 96) and exposed himself to 6000 or
so fans at the Mecca Auditorium, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That was, of
course, Armstrong's clever way of letting Green Day fans who understand
Green Day-ese know that the Mecca was a mediocre show. Armstrong told ATN
during an interview on Halloween that he only drops trou at so-so shows.
Unfortunately, this time mooning the crowd, if you'll excuse the expression,
backfired. After Green Day finished their hour long set, police officers
took Armstrong to the Milwaukee police station, where he was cited for
indecent exposure. After he paid the bail of $141.85, he was released.
But why don't we let Lt. Thomas Christopher of the Milwaukee PD explain
what happened, as only law enforcement can: "Mr. Armstrong dropped his
pants to his knees and exposed his buttocks to the crowd. After the concert,
Mr. Armstrong was taken into custody, given a city citation for indecent
exposure. He posted a bail and was released." Thomas said this was not
an actual arrest, and Armstrong is only required to go to court if he intends
to contest the charge. Otherwise, he'll commit a "civil forfeiture" and
the city will take a "default
judgment." Which means if
Billie Joe doesn't come back to Milwaukee to fight for his right to drop
trou, the city gets to keep
the chump change. Officers went out of their way not to disrupt the
concert, in order to avoid
a potential riot. Instead they waited until the last notes were played
and
apprehended Armstrong on
the way to his limo. "The problem was he exposed himself to a crowd of
about 6,000 people," said
Lt. Christopher. "Including people as young as ten. That was our main
reason for taking the action."
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