Naked New Yorkers arrested for stripping down on Wall St

Three New Yorkers have been arrested after they stripped on Wall St. as part of a performance art project

After disrobing in front of the New York Stock Exchange about 7 a.m., the trio was taken to the 1st Precinct stationhouse in Tribeca, after which they were each released with a summons, police said.

Artist Zefrey Throwell had gathered 50 people on Wall Street as part of a performance art event called "Ocularpation: Wall Street" where participants posed as traders, janitors and secretaries.

Throwell said he was inspired by his 65-year-old mother's loss of most of her retirement savings during the Wall St. crash, which forced her to return to work.

"I came up with this as an educational project to help illuminate the mysterious wheels of Wall St. It's not just a strip tease," the New York Daily News quoted him as saying

The nudity represented the transparency Throwell believes Wall St. needs.

"People loved it. It was a ludicrous event," he stated.

Eric Clinton Anderson, 32, a Brooklyn artist was one of the men apprehended by cops.

"It was pretty hard to keep a straight face," he said.

But Anderson, who was detained by police for an hour and a half before getting a summons, said he was motivated by serious anger at financial execs.

"I think it's pretty interesting Wall St. guys can do what they've done, and nobody goes to jail," he added.