DOWNTOWN — Hundreds of people on the internet say they're going to moon Trump Tower in an attempt to get its namesake developer-turned-president to release his tax returns.
More than 100 people say they'll attend the event on Facebook, aptly titled "Chicago Moons the Trump Tower." More than 900 others say they're interested.
Those who go will drop their pants at the crack of 4 p.m. Feb. 12 in front of the tower, 401 N. Wabash Ave.
The event is organized by SH#!Show, a new Chicago-based comedy series on Facebook. While some might say mooning the tower is immature, the event's organizers say they're just trying a different approach to political activism.
"Certain things get people on their feet. Not everybody is going to watch '60 Minutes' because they think it's boring," said organizer Bailey Davis, 20. "If you ridicule (Trump) or make him feel like he’s the loser, that’s how he blows up. That’s what makes The Donald implode."
The protest follows in the footsteps of like-minded anti-Trump Facebook events with a comical tone. An event last year jokingly calling Chicagoans to push the Trump International Hotel & Tower into the Chicago River drew the attention of thousands. An architect's idea to block the tower's massive Trump sign with "flying pigs" did the same.
SH#!SHOW, which posts satirical videos to Facebook, plans to produce a short Facebook film during the event, Davis said. He noted that a Maryland judge in 2006 defended mooning as a form of free speech.
"If 500 people go up to that tower and pull their pants down it’s not going to go unnoticed, and that’s the goal," he said.
The mass mooning will precede a Downtown march April 15, in which Chicagoans will also call for Trump to release his tax returns. Trump, as a presidential candidate, promised to release his tax returns after undergoing an "audit," but never did. A New York Times story in the fall suggested Trump hasn't paid federal income taxes for 18 years.
Trump's tax disclosures have long interested political observers wondering how entangled Trump's business interests are with foreign governments, how much money he's really made, or if his new administration faces other conflicts.
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