Since the ‘subway crackdown’ in 2014, BuskNY has observed a decline in incidents of wrongful arrest, ticketing, and ejection. We’re thankful for the actions of those like Andrew Kalleen, whose public denunciation of his wrongful arrest gave greater publicity to the legality of subway performance.

This year so far, there have been concerns about ejections at Bedford Avenue and at Times Square, as well as about arrests elsewhere in the system. Because BuskNY has had fewer volunteers available for outreach, we are unsure of the extent of this problem. However, other performers have worked on outreach and are working to organize a civil rights lawsuit. If you are aware of an incident or would like to speak about the logistics of contacting a lawyer, please reach out using our contact page.

In other news, author, messenger, and subway music enthusiast Kurt Boone will be presenting his new book Subway Beats on November 14 at the New York Public Library. We’ll be in attendance and would be thrilled to see you there.