September 8, 2014

Council Member Andy King

250 Broadway, Room 1774
New York, NY 10007
VIA E-MAIL: rking@council.nyc.gov


Dear Council Member King,

I learned via a media advisory shared with my office that you plan to introduce legislation concerning the
regulation of individuals who participate in the informal economy by posing with tourists in Times Square for
tips quite soon. Im writing to request a copy of this legislative proposal and to urge you to proceed with great
sensitivity to the legal rights and well-being of the New Yorkers who support their families in this way.

As I noted in the Amsterdam News last month, some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, many of whom are
recent immigrants, with limited language skills, rely on this legal activity for their livelihood. They dont
deserve to be vilified or interfered with by the police for working independently on the fringes of the tourist
economy in this expensive city. Likewise, our role as legislators should not be to regulate them any further
than is necessary to ensure public safety.

Since very few bad actors have been identified among the Times Square characters and existing criminal
penalties have been sufficient to deal with them, I am not convinced that regulation is required. As noted by
the New York Times, these costumed performers have already organized themselves and are working to self-
regulate in the interest of public safety.

I feel very strongly that any legislative proposal that is introduced in our City Council should be informed by
the first hand experiences of these New Yorkers. I urge you to engage with the Association of Artists United
for a Smile via the advocacy group La Fuente to ensure that their voices and experiences are respected.

Sincerely,




Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.

CC: Lucia Gomez, Executive Director, La Fuente, lgomez@lafuenteinc.org
Tim Tompkins, President, Times Square Alliance, ttompkins@timessquarenyc.org
Matthew Christian, Busk NY, buskny@gmail.com
Stephanie Barretto, Urban Justice Center/Street Vendors Project
Candis Tolliver, NYCLU, ctolliver@nyclu.org
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ROBERT E. CORNEGY, JR.

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DISTRICT, BROOKLYN