Was there ever a crackdown on subway car break dancers?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Completely agree with the above two posts. Yeah, there's a line that shouldn't be crossed when it comes to putting commuters in danger of injury or harassing them, but there are both some very talented and very legitimately in need people in the subway. I have no problem with giving money to people like that, nor do I have a problem with anybody else giving money. Hell, sometimes I get more annoyed at the people in the car than the performers: I'm sitting on my 6 and I figure imma be a sport and give this really talented guy performing a full dollar bill as opposed to change etc., so I do, sure enough the guy next to me whips out ten and makes a big show about it! Suddenly I'm looking like a cheapskate when I just gave out more money than I ever do... Almost broke out a $20 and got into a donation war till I remembered, wait, I can't afford that lol!

I think there's been a number of occasions where I've given a substantial amount of money to a stranger... I've taken people to eat and just gave the person at the diner money and told them to let the person get what they want... Other than that I've given a $20.00 after having Thanksgiving dinner and seeing this poor young guy out by Union Square in the cold hungry and depressed as hell so here I was having had a great Thanksgiving meal at one of my Italian spots and smashed... Had to give the guy something.... Now when it comes to performers in the subway, I've given a buck to those mariachi performers, but usually I prefer the classical music players on the platforms.  Those guys I'll give a few bucks to as they are indeed talented and also not on the subway annoying me, but the candy sellers and dancers really come on at the most inconvenient times...

[LTA1992]

Again I agree. Many ppl peddling are obviously genuinely hitting hard times out of situations out of their control. It's real.

If they smell like death, yeah. If you claiming you homeless but are well groomed, always have on different and clean clothes. White teeth and all, I don't think so. None are getting my money though.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

If they smell like death, yeah. If you claiming you homeless but are well groomed, always have on different and clean clothes. White teeth and all, I don't think so. None are getting my money though.

You can't necessarily go by that. They may have a place to shower and change but that's about it. They still may be officially homeless.   

[realizm]

If they smell like death, yeah. If you claiming you homeless but are well groomed, always have on different and clean clothes. White teeth and all, I don't think so. None are getting my money though.

 

 

Not 100% true in all cases. 

 

As Via Garibaldi 8 was saying. Some who are homeless are well groomed and wearing clean clothes. +1. I also know a couple of people who were technically homeless but were going to college. (And succeeded, and are married now)

 

1) An acquaintance of mine who was at Columbia University studying Law: He used to use the showers in the locker rooms at night and stashed his clothes in the lockers there. He succeeded by the way and is now a professor in Maryland, a family man with kids.

 

2) An acquaintance of mine who was at the Respiratory Therapy program at Borough Of Manhattan Community College (CUNY). He had to sleep in a restaurant and used the locker room showers and lockers also. He is now a RRT and supervisor over the respiratory care department @ Memorial Sloan Kettering last thing I've heard. He is also married now.

 

*Remember the MTA worker who was homeless after Huricane Sandy? He was well groomed and clean I imagine despite losing his home due to the severe storm. 

 

Notice this fact debunks the presumption that all ppl who end up homeless are in these circumstances  due to reasons that are their own and have nothing but themselves to blame, also not always true.

[QM1to6Ave]

Completely agree with Realizm's words about homelessness--in NYC especially, a lot of people are stuck in hard times, but are savvy enough to get a place to shower, some food, some clothes. THe guys you see on the street with nothing at all usually have mental health problems and can't help themselves out. 

 

Also, I think even the MTA agrees that subway performers are an integral part of the city, which is why the license a pretty good number of groups to perform in the subway. But when you get all these random groups, it is too much.

 

I happened to see on the news that Sanjaya, who was on American Idol a few years back, was seen performing in the subway recently

[realizm]

Completely agree with Realizm's words about homelessness--in NYC especially, a lot of people are stuck in hard times, but are savvy enough to get a place to shower, some food, some clothes. THe guys you see on the street with nothing at all usually have mental health problems and can't help themselves out. 

 

Also, I think even the MTA agrees that subway performers are an integral part of the city, which is why the license a pretty good number of groups to perform in the subway. But when you get all these random groups, it is too much.

 

I happened to see on the news that Sanjaya, who was on American Idol a few years back, was seen performing in the subway recently

 

Very true. +1. The psychiatric mental institutions were de-institutionalized in the 1970's. This is why many of the homeless who are mentally ill are on the street or in the prison system. The city doesn't know what to do with them.

[QM1to6Ave]

Very true. +1. The psychiatric mental institutions were de-institutionalized in the 1970's. This is why many of the homeless who are mentally ill are on the street or in the prison system. The city doesn't know what to do with them.

 

Really sad, but very true. Not to go too off-topic, but one of Bloomberg's big failures has been dealing with the homeless issue, which is tied into the mental healthcare issue. Ok, now going back on topic. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Very true. +1. The psychiatric mental institutions were de-institutionalized in the 1970's. This is why many of the homeless who are mentally ill are on the street or in the prison system. The city doesn't know what to do with them.

Better yet, the city is too cheap to house them... It's expensive to house, feed and treat these people and they have guidelines in place to release them back into the streets even if they really aren't truly stable.... Usually takes a tragedy before someone does something.

[Harry]

One of them pole dancers landed on my foot once.  I felt like punching him in the face.  I thought he was being careless in his stipper pole dancing.  But he was only a kid so I chilled out.

[itmaybeokay]

With regard to panhandlers in general, I have a pretty simple rule: look at their shoes. In most cases it will tell you if they are legit or if they are a scam. 

 

That said I generally don't give on the subway, because, well, the announcements asked me not to. 

 

In terms of the performers, to be fair a lot of them are actually quite talented, and some of the dancers create dangerous situations, but honestly that's pretty rare. 

 

I'll chip in what I can on mezzanines and even platforms, but not on the train, because of a philosophical objection to the captive audience. If I don't like a performance pretty much anywhere else in the world I can walk away from it. On a train, I am stuck. Maybe I'm hungover and I don't want to listen to your boombox. Maybe I've already heard a mariachi band play that song today. Maybe I really really like what you're doing. Either way, on the train it's not fair to the riders. I support your artistic expression, whatever it may be, I don't support you forcing it upon people who can do nothing to avoid it. And then asking them to pay. 

 

I respect what they're doing, and in some cases I actually enjoy it. My issue is with where it's being done, that's all. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

lol.... We had some on the train years ago.... Such a nuisance because the weather was crappy outside, the train was crowded and they were in the middle of the train doing all sorts of crazy flips using the pole.  Everyone was just looking at them like they were nut jobs.  I think a lot of people are becoming fed up with it because the fares keep going up, people are working their @sses off and they can't even get a little peace and quiet on the train in the morning.

 

I ride the subway less and less now that I've moved to Riverdale and have MetroNorth as a backup to the express buses... The panhandlers, scam artists and constant track work are enough to turn anyone off and get them to use alternatives if they have them, including driving. 

[Snowblock]

What is all this "legit" panhandling talk? A beggar is a beggar. Nobody's going to go around asking for money if they don't need the $. With that said, soliciting money, playing music at volume audible to other passengers (which is pretty much a requirement for the SHOWTIME idiots, some of whom act VERY hostile towards the passengers and crews) as well as live music performance, are all VIOLATIONS OF THE RULES AND A CRIME when done on board the trains. I don't care who it is, I'm not handing over a dime to anyone who asks for it on board the train, and once they start bothering the other customers, they're getting removed from my train. I've had police waiting for those breakdancers at 59 St plenty of times, after I radioed for them when passing 103 St.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

What is all this "legit" panhandling talk? A beggar is a beggar. Nobody's going to go around asking for money if they don't need the $. With that said, soliciting money, playing music at volume audible to other passengers (which is pretty much a requirement for the SHOWTIME idiots, some of whom act VERY hostile towards the passengers and crews) as well as live music performance, are all VIOLATIONS OF THE RULES AND A CRIME when done on board the trains. I don't care who it is, I'm not handing over a dime to anyone who asks for it on board the train, and once they start bothering the other customers, they're getting removed from my train. I've had police waiting for those breakdancers at 59 St plenty of times, after I radioed for them when passing 103 St.

Yeah I think the idea of legit they were getting at was some are really on hard times and some just do it as a way to make pocket money, but I see your point too and certainly agree.  Those breakdancers are beyond obnoxious.  When I used to get the express bus at 45th & 5th when I worked on 5th, those morons would stand in front of that Brazilian bank (Safra) and blast their music and encourage people passing by to crowd around them so that the cops couldn't see what they were doing.  The thing is the crowds would get so big that the folks waiting at the bus stop basically were almost forced into the street into oncoming traffic... One day I got so pissed that I called the cops and had them come over and they came over right away.  Of course they quickly scattered about, but the way I see it, they can take that nonsense elsewhere.  If they're really that talented, go hustle and get signed by a label or something, but I am not going to risk getting run over just because these jerks have no consideration for others besides themselves.

[realizm]

Yeah I think the idea of legit they were getting at was some are really on hard times and some just do it as a way to make pocket money, 

 

Yes that was one of the talking points and my overall point. Unfortunately we are dealing with a broken system, as you eloquently mentioned in your posts and on top of that some of which are apathetic and really don't give a shit about the suffering of others. That's the jist of it, as far as those who are genuinely suffering. Which goes back to why some are begging, or panhandling on trains who I am sympathetic towards. It's a problem that I doubt can be resolved in my lifetime.

 

Speaking as a volunteer who had experience in helping the homeless in the shelters, while all along as a well off and successful individual with a fulfilling life and career.

 

What is all this "legit" panhandling talk? A beggar is a beggar. Nobody's going to go around asking for money if they don't need the $. With that said, soliciting money, playing music at volume audible to other passengers (which is pretty much a requirement for the SHOWTIME idiots, some of whom act VERY hostile towards the passengers and crews) as well as live music performance, are all VIOLATIONS OF THE RULES AND A CRIME when done on board the trains. I don't care who it is, I'm not handing over a dime to anyone who asks for it on board the train, and once they start bothering the other customers, they're getting removed from my train. I've had police waiting for those breakdancers at 59 St plenty of times, after I radioed for them when passing 103 St.

 

You should become a police officer. With your personality and views in respect to the laws you would do well. 

[Snowblock]

I just had one of those candymen come onto my train and yell "what time is it? SNACKTIME!!!" Even I had to laugh at that one.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I just had one of those candymen come onto my train and yell "what time is it? SNACKTIME!!!" Even I had to laugh at that one.

I tell ya.... You gotta constantly be on guard, even if you're just re-filling MetroCards... I just went to refill one of my cards now and there were like at least three scam artists down there... One was asking this guy for a cigarette and the others were just standing around scoping things out...  The black guys really crack me up.  They must think people are really slow or something not to know what they're up to.  

[Interested Rider]

There has been panhandling on the subway for way over a half a  century. While riding the 4 (yes! the 4 Sea Beach Triplexes) or the BMT (rebuilt and unrebuilt) standards in the late 1950's or early 1960's going over the Manhattan Bridge, there was always a blind man who would sing a song on the trip and people would give money. That was the way it was at that time,

 

Then in the early 1970's  there were the ones with their palm cards who would place  a trinket with a card on your lap and ask for money I would see them usually on a  D or N train going over the Manhattan Bridge going between the cars and placing the change in their bulging  pockets. They would give you an argument if you did not give him money. I was going to graduate school and did not have any money. One night on the train, I said out loud  "I wish I had his money". Needless to say, I never saw that racket on that train again. 

 

The break dancers are still around and I always run into them on the Q train after the train leaves Canal Street in the afternoon. When they enter the car  where  I am sitting, I just bury my head in the newspaper or the book I am reading and cannot wait for them to get off as there are many stops and turns from there to Atlantic Avenue which may result in injuries.

 

Times have changed and there is no place for this behavior in the system whether it is on the platform or on the train. The platform is just as bad, if not worse as the platforms are quite narrow with little room to get around them. The only place to pass is very close to the edge of the platform which is dangerous.  What I am concerned about is when something does happen (and I hope it never does), the person or his heirs will find a lawyer who will argue that it its the MTA's fault that something happened to him and blame the city for not stopping the type of behavior on the system. That is the reason that he received the injuries (and knowing the this city works), a jury will believe that argument and the city will pay millions of dollars to settle the case.

 

[Joe]

Cracking down on breakdancing?  Racists.

[qjtransitmaster]

Cracking down on breakdancing?  Racists.

 

 

I tell ya.... You gotta constantly be on guard, even if you're just re-filling MetroCards... I just went to refill one of my cards now and there were like at least three scam artists down there... One was asking this guy for a cigarette and the others were just standing around scoping things out...  The black guys really crack me up.  They must think people are really slow or something not to know what they're up to.  

sadly people are slow and do give them what they want.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Cracking down on breakdancing?  Racists.

LMAO! Hey not all of them are black, but ALL of them are obnoxious... I've seem white ones too.... Just as annoying and even ruder if you ask me...

Dont bother getting me started about kids in the subway. It was one long night ago , 2/13/10 to be precise. I was on a Coney Island Bound Train when three kids came on board at 14 St - Union Square. One was 12 Years old , another one 13 years old and the last one was 17 years old. The 17 year old had a boombox and started playing music. Another kid told everyone to step back so they can preform and they wanted some money to help their school. I was near the door under the FIND where the kid was dancing. All of a sudden when the 17 Year Old Boy lifted the 12 year old boy up to spin him, the train curved and the 17 year old kid lost his balance and fell on me.The 12 year old kid that was in the air used his feet to land meaning to land on the boys back but instead hit the FIND and broke the window. I shoved the kids off of me and told them to get out of this **** car right now before i call the police! When the train came into Canal St the kids dashed out of the car quick so I wouldn't call the police. The FIND that the kid hit was messed up. There was a big crack in the FIND where the was displayed and it looked like a because there were cracks all around the .

 

They should really stop this dancing because someone is going to get hurt. Like me 

LOL! I would've done the same thing.... Only question is with my big hands and being heavy handed to boot, how hard would I have shoved them... 

 

There has been panhandling on the subway for way over a half a  century. While riding the 4 (yes! the 4 Sea Beach Triplexes) or the BMT (rebuilt and unrebuilt) standards in the late 1950's or early 1960's going over the Manhattan Bridge, there was always a blind man who would sing a song on the trip and people would give money. That was the way it was at that time,

 

Then in the early 1970's  there were the ones with their palm cards who would place  a trinket with a card on your lap and ask for money I would see them usually on a  D or N train going over the Manhattan Bridge going between the cars and placing the change in their bulging  pockets. They would give you an argument if you did not give him money. I was going to graduate school and did not have any money. One night on the train, I said out loud  "I wish I had his money". Needless to say, I never saw that racket on that train again. 

 

The break dancers are still around and I always run into them on the Q train after the train leaves Canal Street in the afternoon. When they enter the car  where  I am sitting, I just bury my head in the newspaper or the book I am reading and cannot wait for them to get off as there are many stops and turns from there to Atlantic Avenue which may result in injuries.

 

Times have changed and there is no place for this behavior in the system whether it is on the platform or on the train. The platform is just as bad, if not worse as the platforms are quite narrow with little room to get around them. The only place to pass is very close to the edge of the platform which is dangerous.  What I am concerned about is when something does happen (and I hope it never does), the person or his heirs will find a lawyer who will argue that it its the MTA's fault that something happened to him and blame the city for not stopping the type of behavior on the system. That is the reason that he received the injuries (and knowing the this city works), a jury will believe that argument and the city will pay millions of dollars to settle the case.

And actually they'd have a damn good argument... Lack of enforcement and they could argue that the incident could be prevented if they had more cops patrolling...

[4P3607]

I've had my share of those breakdancers, usually I see them on the . Alot of the time when Im coming home on Saturday nights i'll see them waiting on the steps for a crowded Queens-bound at 7 Av-53 St. Once I had gotten on their car, there was this woman with her stroller in aisle in the middle of the car, the breakdancers kept looking at her, I knew she wasn't going to move. They still tried to preform the breakdancing, but only did a little bit since they could only had enough room in one doorway.

 

There are some beggars that annoy me, and some that I feel sorry for. Once there was this guy who had gotten on the going Southbound at 125, he was definetly homeless, he had NO shoes, his clothes were all raggedy, and it was obvious he really had nothing. When he finally gave up since no one gave him change, he just lied down on the floor. Those are the people I will give money to, since I know they are truly in need. What really pissed me off is at the next stop, at 59, some breakdancing kids got on the train and did their show until 42. They got almost $20 for preforming! What did the homeless guy get? About $2 from me and my friends (I had pitched in all the change I had left). 

 

I know the expression "don't judge a book by its cover", but like someone said in a previous post, you never know, some of these homeless people might not look homeless at all, but they live in a run-down shelter where they are not getting the care they need and go on the subway for help. Also, those homeless people you see at the end of the platform with their bags of stuff at stations that have low-ridership, they may know someone who supplies them with just enough money so they can eat. I remember once seeing this homeless guy around 32 st & 6 Av, he was obviously homeless, and had a cart full of bags and the stuff homeless people had, though he had a sign on the front of the cart "PLEASE KEEP YOUR DONATIONS AND MONEY, THANKS" or something like that.

 

There is also another one i'd like to point out, those petite women you see with the cardboard sign walking on the train with their baby saying how they need money for milk, They are OBVIOUSLY not homeless. If they were, Child Services would have taken their baby away. I can tell they are scammers, Ive seen them around the system (so far i've only seen three of them, and they all do the same EXACT thing (their signs  basically say the same things). The other day, I saw one of them carrying a designer handbag. Your carrying an expensive designer handbag meanwhile your posing to be homeless with a baby and begging for money? I don't think so.

 

The point is, alot of the people you see on the subway begging for money, you can't tell if they are homeless or not. Though I only give money to the people who I know are truly homeless and have nothing, like that guy on the . 

[Snowblock]

I wondering whatever happened to those two homeless women at Rector St .... I never saw them again after the hurricane, but somebody used to feed them like they were stray cats - I'm talking about bringing them entire take out dinners that no homeless person would ever spend their $ on.

My policy is I don't give to anybody unless they are doing me a service (if someone wants to be a door man for me or makes me laugh, I'll give them a quarter or dollar if I have it handy). I earn my paycheck and it's not for handing out to beggars. As long as they keep getting $, they're never going to change, they're just going to keep doing what they're doing, and I'm not going to be an enabler.

The MTA also runs a Homeless Outreach Department, who is responsible for talking to and helping the people who need it.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I wondering whatever happened to those two homeless women at Rector St .... I never saw them again after the hurricane, but somebody used to feed them like they were stray cats - I'm talking about bringing them entire take out dinners that no homeless person would ever spend their $ on.

 

My policy is I don't give to anybody unless they are doing me a service (if someone wants to be a door man for me or makes me laugh, I'll give them a quarter or dollar if I have it handy). I earn my paycheck and it's not for handing out to beggars. As long as they keep getting $, they're never going to change, they're just going to keep doing what they're doing, and I'm not going to be an enabler.

 

The MTA also runs a Homeless Outreach Department, who is responsible for talking to and helping the people who need it.

lol@ part the stray cat comparison... You're right though... If you keep feeding them they'll keep coming back just like stray cats.

 

I've seen those folks that work with the Outreach Department in Grand Central.  They're in yellow jackets and walk around looking for homeless people to help them.  Very tough job... God knows what those people have, esp. when they've been sleeping in tunnels or roaming the streets without any shower or clean clothes for weeks or months.

[realizm]

 

LMAO! Hey not all of them are black, but ALL of them are obnoxious... I've seem white ones too.... Just as annoying and even ruder if you ask me...

 

 

Cracking down on breakdancing?  Racists.

 

Tell me that ain't so. So tragic. I could have sworn that breakdancing was just as popular in Europe and Asia. Gee wiz I guess I must have been wrong or I'm seeing things, Mr. Joe.

[Around the Horn]

Sources tell me that on the train,a group of Telecommunications kids were breakdancing,hit a Fort kid who started a brawl(Tele and Fort hate each other...)