A group of women protesting Bush administration policies bared their breasts on the Ashland Plaza Saturday afternoon, saying "war profiteering" and "cluster bombs," not nudity, are indecent.

"We’re demonstrating what decency and freedom look like," said activist Sherry Glaser of Mendocino County, Calif., who organized the protest.

Glaser, who said she just returned from a similar protest at the White House last week, said her goal is to "protect definitions" such as decency and freedom by going topless in public places.

A crowd of about 50 watched as six women — and two men — peeled off their tops and held signs reading "Breasts Not Bombs" above their heads.

Glaser then jumped on a black box labeled "Soapbox" and cried into a bull horn, "We are here exhibiting our First Amendment rights. ... We find that a lot of the policies of the Bush administration are indecent."

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The crowd remained silent. Numerous people took pictures with cameras and cell phones.

Ashland resident and first-time protester Miranda Molea yelled at the mob.

"This is a protest, people. You are allowed to clap," she said.

Molea and her friend, Natasha Vilven, then dashed to the sidewalk along East Main Street, holding their signs high. Much car-honking ensued.

A man standing across the street screamed, "Put your shirt on." His vain plea was answered by a woman running from the crowd, shucking her top, to join the protesters.

"It’s a lot safer seeing breasts coming down the street than Hummers and tanks," Glaser said into the megaphone.

The megaphone prompted a visit from the Ashland police. An officer told Glaser she needed an amplification permit. Glaser continued her rant sans megaphone.

"Power to the women! Rise up! We need you!" she said. Going topless is not illegal in Ashland.

The crowd was largely supportive of the nudity in its midst.

"I think that it’s sad that it takes something like this to get someone’s attention," Ashland resident Charman Johnson said. "I wish I had the courage to bare my breasts."

Vilven said that her desire to protest came from her mother, who took her to a Grateful Dead concert when she was 2 years old.

"I’ve been trying to find a better way to protest the war for three years," she said. "This is just the first time I’ve done it without clothing."

Glaser handed out copies of the Bill of Rights after the protesters put their shirts back on. She said that many protests don’t do enough to remind people of their rights.

"We do something more educational than simply holding signs," she said.

Following the hourlong protest, Glaser and her fellow demonstrators, many of them she had just met, traded hugs and phone numbers.

"Now we’re heading to Sacramento to confront Arnold," she said.

Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail cconrad@mailtribune.com.