The following article appeared today in the New York Daily News. I think it speaks for itself. Under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, we were a city of eight million potential perpetrators; under current Mayor Mike Bloomberg, we're a city of eight million purses and wallets to be squeezed and squeezed. Quite sneaky, the way all this was done, IMO. Buskers, beware.

Jay

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A "Fine Time" For City Park Performers

By John Doyle
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Street performers are singing the blues after the city instituted hefty fines for collecting donations near landmarks or monuments in parks.

The new rule, which quietly went into effect two months ago, violates freedom of speech, bummed-out buskers and civil liberties advocates told the Daily News last week.

"It's artistic free speech, and not panhandling or begging," said Kareem Barnes, 36, of the Bronx, a member of an acrobatic dance troupe that has performed near Washington Square Park's empty fountain for the last 25 years.

Under the new rule, performers cannot collect donations within 50 feet of a landmark or monument. They face a $250 fine for the first offense, but the fine can rise to $1,000 in subsequent summonses.

City Parks Department says the rule protects performers and park visitors.

Performers "don't have to leave the park, but [must] be in an area that doesn't prevent the public from enjoying the amenities in the park," Manhattan Borough Parks Commissioner William Castro said.

Barnes said he has been slapped with nearly $10,000 in summonses in the past two months - but an Environmental Control Board judge dismissed the fines after he argued his constitutional rights.

Castro said under the new rule, the Parks Department has issued 12 summonses to performers in Washington Square Park, but the artists and advocates say the number is much higher.

"Performers bring life, culture and safety to our parks, and yet the city is harassing and trying to intimidate them," said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates.

"The Bloomberg policy is an embarrassment to the city and must stop immediately."