Police Commissioner Bill Bratton Backpedals On Subway Breakdancing Arrests
Does the system work? Sometimes.
Recently, we’ve done a lot of coverage on Police Commissioner Bill Bratton’s new “quality of life” policies, many of which seem discriminatory and don’t quite jibe with our ideas of what merits actual crime. Well, it appears that Mr. Bratton has been listening to at least some of his critics and this past Friday did some rare backpedaling.
According to the Post, the commissioner still believes that subway breakdancers shouldn’t take their show into subway cars, but thinks they do have a role to play in the system.
“There is an opportunity in certain locations in the system where those individuals can perform and not be a risk to themselves, or to the public on moving cars,” Bratton said. “On a subway car that sways, jilts, stops, it’s too great to ignore and we will not ignore it.”
His plan? The MTA should set aside space in the subway system for breakdancers and issue permits to those wishing to perform in its stations. Bratton plans to bring a proposal to the transit organization in the near future that will hopefully curb the disturbingly high number of subway breakdancing arrests.
Color us wary, but impressed.
Follow Nikita Richardson on Twitter @nikitarbk