Erykah Badu's "Window Seat" Video May Prompt Tougher Laws

DALLAS (CBS/AP) Officials in Dallas remain upset about Erykah Badu's controversial music video for her song "Window Seat."
PICTURES: Erykah Badu "Window Seat" Controversy

Though she hasn't be charged with a crime for getting naked on a downtown street, officials are considering strengthening their laws to prevent any future "artistic statements" in a similar vein.

The music video shows Badu walking and stripping naked on the street where President John Kennedy was assassinated.

 In it, Badu walks in front of the Texas School Book Depository - where the shots that killed Kennedy were fired from. She strips as she walks down the street, and is "shot down" - totally nude - not far from the spot where the fatal bullet struck Kennedy.

On her Twitter feed, Badu says the video was "shot guerrilla style" - that is, without the permits that are usually required to do a video on a city street.

Dwaine Caraway, chairman of the Dallas City Council's Public Safety Committee, is considering tougher penalties for people who produce video for a profit in the city without the proper permits, according to the Dallas Morning News.

"None of this would have occurred had she stayed clothed," Caraway said to the paper. "But since she didn't, it elevated the need for making sure that we have policies in place that will protect folks and the integrity of the city as best we possibly can."

A spokesman for the city says if guerrilla crews are found out, they'd face arrest and or penalties.

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
March 31, 2010 - Erykah Badu Strips in New Video: Could Have Landed Singer a Year in Jail, Say Police
March 29, 2010 - Erykah Badu Window Seat Video: Is Her Stripping Illegal or Just in Poor Taste?