The Short and Ridiculous Trial of a Protester Arrested in an Inflatable Penis Costume [View all]

An Alabama cop who confronted the No Kings protester claimed she posed a risk to public safety. The judge was unconvinced.

Renea Gamble faced misdemeanor charges in a trial at the Fairhope Civic Center in Fairhope, Ala., on April 15, 2026, after being arrested at a protest while dressed as a penis. Photo: Liliana Segura/The Intercept

(snip)

“She was a distraction,” Babb said. “A distraction can be a hazard.” Gespass pointed out that Babb’s incident report invoked the legal definitions of obscenity: Why did he write that the penis costume was devoid of any “artistic value”? Babb replied that the protest took place at noon on a Saturday, in the midst of Little League baseball season, and on the same day as a funeral for a former mayor. “In that setting, it would be obscene,” he said.

Much of Babb’s testimony was easily refuted by the body camera footage. Babb claimed that Gamble resisted arrest, and that he only called for backup once she was on the ground. In reality, he called for backup almost immediately. Babb claimed that he told Gamble she was “not free to go.” In fact, she repeatedly asked, “Am I being detained?” but he ignored her, continuing to scold her instead. When Gespass asked why Babb grabbed his client from behind, Babb claimed that he would not have been able to get in front of her — there were too many people in the way.

(snip)

A still from police body camera footage of Renea Gamble at a No Kings protest being approached by Fairhope Police Cpl. Andrew Babb in Fairhope, Ala., on Oct. 18, 2025. Still: The Intercept

(snip)

Whatever comes next, Adeana made clear that her mother was luckier than most. “What would have happened if she was a young Black man?” she asked. “What would have happened if she was a middle-aged Latina woman?” In Baldwin County, where Indivisible activists are focused on supporting immigrants targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Gamble’s prosecution has been a lesson unto itself. “If we don’t stand up and support our neighbors, who will?”

Adeana understood why Gamble was so widely described as a “grandmother” in the headlines following her arrest. But the label didn’t capture the full picture. “If anything, we’re getting more explosive in our older age,” Adeana said. “Because we’re tired of being pushed down.”

https://theintercept.com/2026/04/22/renea-gamble-trial-penis-costume-no-kings-protest/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter