A legislation was made to rein in the costume characters and desnudas of Times Square. It was passed in the City Council on Thursday.
According to PLAYBILL, the New York City Council voted on April 7 to give the New York City Department of Transportation the power to create new rules for pedestrian plazas. But the Department of Transportation will just regulate, not ban, the costumed characters who roam the Times Square and other city pedestrian plazas.
Also, for the next few months, Times Square Alliance spokesperson Kyle Sklerov said that the DOT will put together specific proposed rules on how the regulation will be executed. They will give the opportunity to comment regarding the decision-making of the rules before they will go into effect, which will likely be by summer 2016, unless they will be challenged in court.
NY DAILY NEWS reported that it was approved by a vote of 42-1, with five abstentions. The proposal came to life because of the complaints that overly aggressive topless women, Elmos and superheroes have become a trouble to the tourists and commuters in the Times Square.
The whole City Council already approved the measure the next day. ABC7 NY also claimed that individuals who work as costumed characters at and or near Times Square referred the new rule as an "apartheid." They even said that the only people who are disappointed are the "people who want to have free pictures."
However, the City officials stated that the bill is not aimed at terminating their jobs, but instead they are planning to remove unnecessary and hostile solicitation. "The passage of this bill ensures that the pedestrian plazas not only in Times Square, but also throughout all five boroughs, will be vibrant and successful public spaces," stated Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.
He added that the Alliance is committed to working closely with the city officials and those affected, including those working to earn a living at the plazas. This is to effectively address the concerns raised during the process of getting the bill passed. The city has long struggled to figure out a way to contain the scene in the square without tainting the First Amendment rights of costumed performers and desnudas, who are legally permitted to be topless in the city.
Meanwhile, the authorization for the DOT to make the regulations will also apply to other pedestrian plazas around the five boroughs, 53 currently, with 20 more planned. The city authorities also claimed that they think the new rules will pass muster as reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions.
