Nude protester halts traffic during anti‑ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles

An unclaimed act of naked defiance joins a growing wave of global unrest

Alex Steed on BlueSky

On June 8, 2025, a woman wearing only a tiara, socks, and Crocs carried two hand-lettered signs—“TRUMP I AM YOUR MOTHER” and “I AM GOD,” with “LET’S DO AYAHUASCA” scrawled on the reverse—and stood naked in a downtown Los Angeles crosswalk, freezing traffic and commanding the scene.

Her identity remains unknown, but the image—striking, raw, and cryptic—has spread widely online. As @upuknews1 reported on X:

“Traffic came to a standstill as stunned onlookers watched. Authorities are responding to the scene.”¹

Another observer, @hearinladotcom, shared a simpler impression:

“Naked lady protesting in the middle of Los Angeles Street. We live in a beautiful place.”²

Video from @CamHigby on X

The moment came amid four straight nights of unrest in Los Angeles, sparked by a wave of federal immigration raids that began June 6. More than 100 people were detained in operations across Southern California, prompting mass demonstrations. The vast majority of protests were peaceful—characterized by freeway blockades, echoing chants, and shared moments of calm—yet they were met with a disproportionately militarized response, including tear gas, rubber bullets, and federal troops called onto city streets. President Trump declared the protests an “insurrection” and deployed 2,000 National Guard troops—later joined by 700 Marines—without state authorization.

In that context, the nude protester emerged on Sunday, two days into the unrest. According to @rawsalerts:

“Anti‑ICE Protesters are now going nudity on the streets with some of them holding signs that say I am god… Clashes with National Guard troops and law enforcement have turned violent.”³

Her act joins a long and global lineage of naked protest—where the body itself becomes a site of dissent. Perhaps her closest parallel was the anonymous woman dubbed “Naked Athena”, who in 2020 made headlines in Portland when she stood nude before a line of federal agents during Black Lives Matter protests. She held her pose as officers fired tear gas into the air around her—an image that quickly became a symbol of nonviolent resistance. Just last month, FEMEN activists staged topless demonstrations in Paris, confronting the rise of far-right politics on the streets of France. And also last month, Ugandan activist Aloikin Praise Opoloje was awarded the 2025 EU Human Rights Defenders Award after she stripped in protest outside parliament to call attention to government corruption.

While these protests are not an act of naturism, and many naturists would object to aligning social nudity with this kind of confrontational activism, it nonetheless demonstrates the enduring symbolic power of the naked body. In moments of unrest, nudity can become something else entirely: a tool of disruption, vulnerability, or transcendence.

As of now, no organization has claimed the LA protester’s appearance. Authorities have not issued any public statement. Her motivations remain unknown. What’s left behind is unmistakable. In a moment charged with violence, fear, and federal force, a single naked figure stepped into the street—not to explain, not to comfort, but to be seen and heard. 🪐

1. upuknews1. (2025, June 8). #WATCH: Naked woman stages protest … [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/upuknews1/status/1932100605587402885

2. Hear in LA [@hearinladotcom]. (2025, June 8). Naked lady protesting in the middle of Los Angeles Street. We live in a beautiful place. [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/hearinladotcom/status/1931904818660216912

3. RAWSALERTS. (2025, June 8). Anti‑ICE Protesters are now going nudity on the streets… [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1931874361335861625