14 DAY TRIAL // Erykah Badu released her latest video on her official website, saying that it was a guerrilla-style vid meant to point out one of the many paradoxes we were living with: the more you showed of yourself, the greater the chances of being trampled to the ground. The artist achieved this by walking down the street and removing her clothes, item by item – which eventually led to her being fined by authorities for disorderly conduct, the Telegraph writes.
Controversy around the “Window Seat” video started the second it went online, especially since its release was accompanied by a report – which turned out to be true – that Erykah and her crew had no permit to film at the Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, where President John F. Kennedy was shot. This also meant that all the people that appeared in it, albeit in the background since the camera only focused on the singer, were not aware they were being filmed – let alone expect Erykah to do what she does in the video.
Police began by asking witnesses to come forward so that they could charge the singer. “Badu was initially dismissive: ‘No one has pressed charges,’ she wrote on Twitter. ‘All propaganda. Don’t believe everything u hear... EveryTING fine.’ Police eventually found their witness in Ida Espinosa, 32, who filed a sworn statement on Thursday. ‘[Espinosa] observed Ms Badu remove her clothing on the public street,’ deputy police chief Mike Genovesi told the Dallas Morning News. ‘The witness had two small children with her and was offended.’ Badu was charged with disorderly conduct and will receive a ticket in the mail,” the Telegraph says.
“Released last week, the clip for Window Seat has attracted more than 300,000 views – and now a $500 (£327) fine. Shot in Dallas on 13 March, the video courted controversy from the start. Directors Coodie and Chike allegedly did not obtain permits for the shoot, which Badu said was done ‘guerrilla-style, [with] no crew, one take, no closet set, no warning.’ Across the five-minute slow-jam, Badu walks through the city’s Dealey Plaza, stripping […], falling to the ground – as if shot – at the site of John F Kennedy’s assassination. ‘Then [we] ran like hell,’ Badu said,” the publication further explains.
In response to being charged, Badu announced she’d be holding an auction for “bail money.” The video is still up on her official website and, given that it was seen from the start as a protest, the fact that she got a fine is highly unlikely to change anything and it will stay there for as long as Erykah sees fit.