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Musicians: Let Us Keep Rittenhouse Square Vibrant
As you may remember, back in March 20-year-old Anthony Riley was arrested for singing in Rittenhouse Square. And, since then, nobody’s been singing in Rittenhouse. The cops claim they’re actually doing everyone a favor. And by “everyone” I mean “rich people who moved in around a two-block public park and thought there wouldn’t be any noise.”
Those damn street musicians! Always playing their entertaining jingles and making Rittenhouse Square vibrant for free! (A little bit after Riley was arrested, he also appeared on the Fox 5 o’clock news — aka the Kerri-Lee Halkett news — and explained his plight. The story’s not on Fox’s website, but City Councilman Frank Rizzo said on the report he was starting a program to get permits for people to play in the park if they — of course — pay a fee! This is what I remember; I could be wrong. That seems to also be the rule now, so maybe Rizzo would let them play for cheaper, or for free or something.) And so, yesterday, to protest the permit one has to obtain to legally play music in Rittenhouse Square, a group of musicians got a permit and raised hell in RIttenhouse Square! And by “raised hell,” I mean, “played music to the enjoyment of all.” The protest, of course, included on Larry West, the mohawked 22-year-old candidate for mayor who legally can’t even run for mayor. (You have to be 25.) While I was writing this update, of course, Larry West actually called me randomly. But of course!
Wow! Musician, ineligible mayoral candidate, activist… is there anything Larry West can’t do? Do you think the Philadelphia Soul could use another defensive back? Music fills Rittenhouse in a show of solidarity [Metro] |
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next time he calls you tell Larry I said ‘what’s up?’
He’s a triple threat!
I met Larry West outside of City Hall. He had a bag of Taco Bell goodies and was running to make his train, but still stopped to shoot the shit with me. I like him. If he runs again when he’s legally able to be a candidate, he’s got my vote fo sho.
Don’t get me started on this issue. There are a lot more pressing issues in R’house lately - starting with the drunk homeless guy who picked up a trash can in a rage and threw it at two women sitting on a blanket minding their own business….
You can’t sing but sections of fence can go missing surrounding the park go missing? More architectural theft that has largely not been addressed in decades? In a city with a soaring murder rate and an open drug trade, the police are arresting musicians. This violates common sense and the right to free speech. Cops should be solving murders and arresting drug dealers and leave alone the musicians who attract people to Rittenhouse Square just as much as the oil painters and sketch artists.
About the rich people “who moved in around Rittenhouse Square, a public park.” Rittenhouse Square has always been surrounded by rich people and once was a private, locked park that was maintained with city funds. That at least has improved.
There is this guy who’s been playing bluesy rock, on the north-east corner of the Square on Sunday afternoons for a few weeks. He does drums, guitar and harmonica, and voice. He’s really awesome and very friendly. I’ve seen people repeatedly stop and talk to him or even have an improvised jam session. He plays amplified but it’s very reasonable. I’m super sensitive to loud noise and it’s nothing but. Basically you can’t hear him at all from half a block away.
This afternoon, this cop came and told him he needed a permit to play amplified music.
You might think indeed that the police would have more pressing matters to deal with in this city than harassing artists… But apparently not.