Around 1:20 AM on October 31, 2023 — Halloween — a man in a bright yellow banana costume was arrested for urinating on a sidewalk in the Old Town district of Key West, Florida. He is Kyle Mortimer, 20, a college student.
An officer was flagged down over a report of a man relieving himself against the side of a building. A row of porta-potties stood nearby, but Mortimer had chosen the sidewalk instead. Told to stop, he kept going, then bolted, running zig-zag patterns through the crowd toward Duval Street.
A second officer caught up and moved to detain him. Mortimer twisted and pulled away; even after a leg sweep took him to the ground, he interlaced his fingers and clenched them tight to resist being cuffed. He was eventually secured — and his mugshot was taken with the banana suit still on.
The charges: disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Mortimer was released on bail, with arraignment set for November 16.
From Jake
In America, a costume is protected expression. Wearing a banana — sure. Whipping out the other banana — no, that one’s not protected. That’s disorderly conduct. Key West turns into a citywide costume parade on Halloween, and Duval Street is packed past midnight. There were porta-potties right there, lined up and ready. And still, every year, one or two people pick the sidewalk instead and end up in a mugshot with the suit still on.