Huntington Beach Nudist Revealed

The "naked man" of Huntington Beach, California, whose penchant for nudity caused the city to enact a nudity ordinance last year, has finally spoken out. His name is Michael Angelo Ferriera, a 43 year-old grandfather and native of Portugal, who emigrated to the United States at the age of 16.

Aside from enjoying a clothes-free lifestyle, Ferriera did nothing wrong, yet neighbors and police harassed him until he was forced to leave the city. His work as a general contractor dried up because of the notoriety.

"I certainly felt harassed by the police department when I lived in (Huntington Beach)," Ferriera said. "The police department did not personally agree with my lifestyle. They believed that if you're naked that naked equals … that you must have some sexual desire. It's very hard for people to grasp knowing that you no longer have to hide behind that mask."

Ferriera recounts stories about people walking by just to get a peek, and police knocking on his door and attempting warrantless searches of his home. Eventually prosecutors charged him with nine counts of "suspicion of indecent exposure", and threatened with making him register as a sex offender, so Ferriera made a plea deal. The card-carrying AANR member was no longer welcome in Huntington Beach, and the law was enacted to prohibit all nudity in public.

Ferriera, whose weathered face reveals his love for the beach, said he misses Surf City and is not as happy being as far away as he is from the coast. He sometimes contemplates moving back to Europe, where he said people are more comfortable with nudity.

Still, he said he feels partly to blame for the way city officials struck a blow at the naturists who live in the city.

"All this almost makes me want to cry," he added.

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