Brilla was joined in topless romp by her sisters: Tameera and Nadia.
By Raif Karerat
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WASHINGTON, DC: Alysha Brilla, a Juno awarded nominated, Indo-Tanzanian-Canadian musician, is demanding a formal apology from Ontario police after she and her sisters were stopped while riding their bicycles topless and told to cover up.
A police officer driving by in an SUV saw the women, rolled down his window and told them they needed to put shirts on because it was the law, Brilla informed the Canadian Press.
“No, we have the right to go topless” was the reply, reported Talk Radio AM640 of Toronto. The sisters truly did, by order of the Ontario Court of Appeal, which made the ruling five years after Guelph university student Gwen Jacobs was charged for committing an indecent act when she walked home shirtless on a hot day,
After the 26-year-old pointed out that the officer was wrong about the law and then started filming the interaction on her cell phone, the policeman backtracked by saying he only wanted to check if the women had proper bells and lights on their bicycles and left them free to go.
Brilla told the Canadian Press that she and her sisters have seen countless male cyclists going shirtless on hot summer days, and women should feel free to do the same without attracting attention or being harassed and questioned.
“When my sisters and I were biking down the road we weren’t like, ‘Woohoo, look at our tits!’ No. Just like male riders, we have these benign fat deposits with nipples on our chests,” Brilla said. “The social context is obviously different, but that’s what we’re trying to shift.”
The Kitchener sisters have filed a formal complaint with the Waterloo Regional Police, but Brilla said she is only seeking an apology and to ensure officers are properly educated on the law.
Brilla and her sisters, Tameera and Nadia Mohamed also organized a rally on August 1 called “Bare With Us,” which they hope will help educate the public on the women’s right to be topless, but also broader issues such as women’s pay inequity and safety.
Aside from being a critically acclaimed singer, Alysha Brilla is also a songwriter, producer, and yoga instructor, according to her official website. She plays guitar, piano and djembe, creating a unique original soul-folk sound which has been featured on international stages and in television shows such as “Degrassi: The Next Generation” and CMT’s “Unstable.”