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# Michelle Phillips dreamin’ of Henna
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/michelle-phillips-dreamin-of-henna/
- Published: 2002-01-18T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-22T23:57:51.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: local, Promenade, #archive-import

*Henna artists rally for a city council re-vote*

*By Daily Press staff*

Michelle Phillips, of the classic 60’s rock band the Mamas and the Papas, has been enlisted in the fight to overturn the ban on Henna artists on the Promenade.

Phillips will receive a Henna tattoo from local artists on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Third Street Promenade in a show of support for them, according to community activist Jerry Rubin, who recently helped form “Supporters of Henna Artists’

Right to Express.”

The Santa Monica City Council think some of the artists pose a public safety risk, therefore opening the city to liability. Others believe that Henna “tattooing” is not a performance and shouldn’t fall under the city’s code for street performing.

But some artists are ignoring the ban, arguing it’s their Constitutional right to express themselves with the 5,000-year-old art form. Since Jan. 1, police have slapped Henna artist Luke Chanthadara with two misdemeanor tickets for continuing to perform without a business license. He faces up to six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines. He is scheduled to appear in court on at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 4\. Henna supporters plan to hold a vigil at 8 a.m. that day outside the Santa Monica Courthouse, located at 1725 Main Street just prior to Chanthadara’s arraignment.

Chanthadara and other Henna artists have been designated as official permitted performers on Santa Monica’s popular Third Street Promenade for the past three years.

Henna supporters collected hundreds of signatures urging the city council to have a re-vote on the Henna issue and attempt to work out a meditative solution involving the inappropriate use of black Henna toxic hair dye. S.H.A.R.E members say the city of Santa Monica inaccurately defines Mehndi art to be a tattoo. S.H.A.R.E. also claims that the Henna artists have as much right to be under the city’s performers permit along with the creative portrait artists, caricature artists, balloon artists and artistic flower designers.

Chanthadara and other Henna art supporters will make statements at the vigil.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 18, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/011802.pdf?ref=smdp.com)