TOO MUCH TO BARE
Pols call Times Sq. flesh pit a disaster and unacceptable — but say hands are tied in cleaning it up
The very day the Daily News shined a light on the naked aggression of panhandling in Times Square, the “painted ladies” are still out in full force — even posing with young children for a buck. Pols and cops say there is little they can do about the problem under current laws.
CITY POLITICIANS want to put an end to topless performers’ naked ambition — but getting them to cover up is no easy task.
The painted ladies of Times Square drive pols and many tourists crazy — but the law allows little leeway to make the Crossroads of the World less PG-13.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said she and other elected officials have been spending “a great deal of time” trying to determine the best way to rein in performers at Times Square.
Now, the recent explosion of scantily clad women posing for pics presents an additional challenge.
“The whole situation is a disaster I think for tourists and New Yorkers and the family friendly image. . . . It’s just mind blowing,” Brewer said.
“I really don’t believe in it. . . . I wish it was illegal, but it’s not.”
Brewer surveyed the scene Sunday afternoon.
The bust business was booming for some four topless performers sporting patriotic makeup over their bare breasts. They mingled with over a dozen costumed performers.
The women targeted mostly groups of guys, and were overheard saying “What’s up, baby? Take a picture.”
Others simply pointed their butts at cameras and then put their hands out for money — usually $5. Some customers eagerly approached with cash in hand.
The business model boiled down to sweet-talking groups of bros and the occasional family.
But plenty of tourists were left saying “no thanks for the mammaries.”
“It’s disgusting. It should be illegal,” Jackie Castillo, 46, said. “They come up and get too close to people — yuck!
“It’s not a good example for the kids here,” Castillo, of Pennsylvania, added. “The paint isn’t clothing.”
Michael Perez, 23, of New Jersey, was more accepting.
“They’re just trying to make a buck, and sex sells,” Perez said.
“But it does look like they’re pushing their luck,” he added as a painted woman put her arms around the shoulders of an unwilling tourist who immediately turned and walked away.
Sometimes the desnudas — the Spanish word for “naked” that they often use to describe themselves — get confrontational.
An interview recorded by the Times Square Alliance features a tourist and mother of three boys recounting a scary showdown with one desnuda after she asked the women to please let them pass.
“They kind of seemed to come from every direction,” the mom from Los Angeles said, her voice shaking.
She said one of the women flipped out after she tapped her on the shoulder.
The desnuda said, “Excuse me! Don’t touch me, that’s illegal! I’m going to punch you in the face, you stupid B,” the stunned mom said. For Marilyn O’Hara, 62, the women brought back memories of Times Square’s seedier past, when prostitutes, porn theaters and crime were common. Politicians “should nip it in the bud,” said O’Hara, of Long Island. “It makes New York look cheap — 42nd St. was cleaned up so much, we don’t want to bring stuff like this back.” Help may soon be on the way. “A number of city agencies are working now to develop new approaches to this and other quality-of-life problems in and around Times Square,” Mayor de Blasio’s spokeswoman Karen Hinton said.
“The mayor finds the Times Square situation unacceptable and expects to recommend administrative actions and other steps soon to address the issues.”
City Councilman Corey Johnson, who represents part of Times Square, sounded a hopeful note about the bare-chested trend. “I think we can look at time, place and manner restrictions. What that means is they have the right to be in Times Square,
but we as a city have the
right to say where exactly in Times Square they can be. So you can confine it to certain areas,” Johnson said.
The status quo is not acceptable, the Democrat said, noting that crime-prone costumed characters have also been a growing concern.
“All of it put together creates what could be considered an unsafe and unseemly atmosphere,” he said.
Councilman Daniel Garodnick, a Democrat who also represents part of Times Square, said a visit to the global tourist destination needs to become less of a hassle.
“We . . . need to think more broadly about how to organize Times Square so as to allow its eccentricity to exist while also giving the public a chance to move around and not be bothered,” he said.
An NYPD spokesman explained the legal constraints that prevent police from combating the nudity in Times Square. “Current local law does not prohibit an individual from being ‘topless’ in public. ‘Panhandling’ is also not illegal,” the spokesman said.
Police can issue summonses for aggressive panhandling, disorderly conduct or harassment under certain circumstances, he added. Tips from civilians are welcome, the NYPD spokesman said.
Still, more than a few tourists said the nudity wasn’t a big deal.
“It’s a little inappropriate, but it shouldn’t be a legal issue,” said Anne Smith, 24, of Philadelphia. “They’re just having fun. I don’t see the harm in it. They’ve got their private parts covered up.”
But she did have a second thought about the jiggling Stars and Stripes. “It’s not decent, but it is acceptable. I guess if I had a kid, I would feel a different way
about it,” she said.