City Councilors Sal LaMattina and Bill Linehan want to require street performers to buy $40 annual licenses for the right to perform on Boston streets.
The city council tomorrow considers their request for a hearing on a proposed ordinance that would require street performers to wear their permits - and to show them to inquiring police officers and to stay at least 100 feet away from elementary schools and hospitals - and at least 50 feet away from other buskers.
The measure would require members of groups to buy individual permits - up to a maximum of $160 per group.
The proposed regulation would also let police or the city DPW ban performers who receive five "noncriminal dispositions" in a year.
The city has not regulated street performers since 2006, when it agreed to give up a permitting system to settle a First Amendment suit filed by Community Arts Advocates. The stipulation that settled the case did call for "reasonable time, place and manner restrictions of the expressive rights of street performers and their audiences" in Downtown Crossing.
The hearing request states:
Street performers enhance the character of the city and the City of Boston seeks to encourage street performers while maintaining the reasonable expectations of residents to the enjoyment of peace and quiet in their homes as well as the ability of businesses to conduct their services uninterrupted.
It is in the interest of the City of Boston to reasonably regulate street performers in order to balance the interests of performers with those of the residents and businesses of the city.
LaMattina represents the North End; Linehan represents downtown.
The council's regular Wednesday meeting begins at noon in its fifth-floor chambers in City Hall.
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Comments
I don't blame Keytar Bear
By anon
Tue, 10/20/2015 - 1:07pm
I believe The Dirge Woman of State Street (the one who plays the recorder and keens between the blue and orange lines) made them feel sad.
Buskers
By JR
Tue, 10/20/2015 - 10:25am
This is absurd -- one of the many things I love about Boston is that you can take a walk around the city and almost always hear music. And with the music schools and conservatories around, most of them are pretty talented! If anything, the city should pay them instead of charging them a license fee.
And I agree with regulating the "colored vest" people...they are much more intrusive, especially when you work in a key spot like Kenmore or Copley and have to deal with them multiple times a day. For some reason they can never remember that they've accosted you once (or twice, or...) already that day.
Green Sheets not available online... yet !
By theszak
Tue, 10/20/2015 - 11:41am
Boston City Council hasn't made available online the Green Sheets of Pending Council Matters required to be made available by request at
http://www.cityofboston.gov/contact/?id=138
This proposal is offensive.
By anon
Tue, 10/20/2015 - 11:49am
This proposal is offensive. It stifles artistic expression.
Let's say a musician is visiting from out of town. They show up on a Saturday morning. Even if they wanted to spend $40 just to play for one weekend (which would be a big chunk of any money they might make), they wouldn't be able to get one since City Hall would be closed.
Needs clarification
By Kaz
Tue, 10/20/2015 - 1:09pm
If the city destroyed its past permitting system in 2006 as a result of a lawsuit then what does this new permitting system somehow provide as cover for why it's not a violation of that past settlement? They claimed the need for time/place restrictions, but also agreed to destroy any permitting at the time. You don't need permitting for time/place restrictions...so what gives? Wouldn't enacting this just be begging to be sued again in violation of the city's past agreement?
Also, do we really need a cut of busker income to survive? Is this funding some part of the city's budget that deals with the fact that buskers exist? It's not like they're damaging their performance locations or driving up costs for administrative needs (especially since there's no permitting system any more). So, is this just a bald money grab for little to no reason (how many buskers could there even be total in the city?). Also, going back to the prior lawsuit, what's the difference between a busker that would need a permit and someone exercising their right to free speech that wouldn't need a permit? The tipping? Why would someone else's actions (tipping you) somehow invalidate your own right to free speech (performing)? Does this mean if there's anyone I don't like while walking around the city that I should just give them $1 and call the cops on them?
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