Times Square circus and crime

Let’s watch a Broadway show called “Times Square circus and crime.”

Act 1. Overflowing with digital billboards and neon lights, New York’s Times Square at night looks like Las Vegas, the vibrant US gambling city. An amphitheatre seating gallery has been built under the famous Coca Cola advertisement landmark where people sit only to watch other people, illumination, billboards and street entertainment events. In 12 degree Celsius temperature, a very handsome, muscular playboy in just a v-shaped underwear and cowboy hat is creating showbiz, singing with a guitar. With “naked cowboy” written on his backside, he’s got women of all age groups joyfully flocking to him. He reaches out to the women, and creates an erotic pose for a souvenir photograph they carry back home. Holding a woman chest-to-chest, he takes off his hat and puts it in front of her face, as though he is pushing through a strong kiss on her bent body. Another much loved photographic pose is bottom-to-bottom. He takes the woman’s hand, places it on his exaggerated sitting-in-the-air “naked cowboy” backside, takes his own hand and puts it on her backside even as he pouts a kiss to her. Sometimes he does a tango dance putting his leg in an erotic gesture between the woman’s legs. The woman’s companion clicks the picture while she happily gives him some money that he puts inside his guitar as though it were a piggy bank. In return he gives her a post card to remember him by; in actual fact it’s his business card. Police presence is high here, even mounted police on horseback, but they have a very public friendly attitude, and everybody is in a hearty mood having a rollicking time.

Suddenly a beautiful woman passes by manifesting a picture of President Barack Obama in a billboard hanging on her neck. She has a tray of condoms at the bottom of Obama’s smiling face. She’s proudly selling “Obama condoms.” Men and women criss-cross her, open up their purses and buy Obama condoms with no qualms, complexity or fuss. You may argue that this shows genuine liberty in the hands of American people, that anyone can brand even an intimate product like condoms with the President’s face and openly sell it on the street. Perhaps it could mean the President is passing on a friendly message on AIDS prevention. That’s breakthrough action really. We can never imagine that any politician in India would allow his or her name to be associated with AIDS; in fact AIDS is a subject we fear continuously and try to hide its existence.

Suddenly in another corner, a highly decorated pink collapsible van, almost like a festival float, drives in slowly. Dramatically made up poster girls give live demonstrations of a color cosmetic brand. Women walking on the street suddenly get up and sit on gaudy chairs outside the flashy pink van to experience what it feels like to be made up and look like Hollywood stars being watched by adoring crowds. In such ostentatious surroundings there is unexpectedly the irony of homeless people carrying their worn out luggage in trolley bags. They ask people for money and sleep on the road. Beggars are commonplace in India, but in Times Square it’s shocking to see beggars.

Act 2. As my colleague and I were walking down Broadway through Times Square, I was telling her about how the advent of terrorism has made European countries like France change even their street dust bin systems. They now use huge, transparent, plastic bags as dust bins on the streets so everything discarded inside is very visible from the outside. But the US still uses hard, opaque plastic dust bins on the street. We reached Juniors restaurant on West 45th Street, had a quick bite and stepped out at 7 pm. Suddenly the police had cordoned off the Times Square area with a yellow ribbon to stop passers by. I always carry my video camera in hand to collect social aspects in society when I travel so I was covering this incident even as it unfolded. It appeared fun at the initial stage and went on to become dramatic.

Act 3. We were made to walk back towards 8th Avenue. Lots of cameramen started to shoot the scene. The police first used a yellow ribbon then pushed us back a little more. The original yellow ribbon spot now had a red ribbon. We smelt danger. Suddenly fire brigades were bracketing the road. Ambulances started to make their appearance. 
Manhattan’s Broadway, the theatre district, was about to swing into action at 8 pm, A few young actors and actresses were seen trying to negotiate entry to the barricaded streets as they had to rush for their theatre performance. Theatre musicians with their huge cellos and violins did not know what to do. An actress was pushed aside by a burly fire brigade man, and she fell down on the road. A rumor ran through in lightning speed amongst this public that a building on Times Square was on fire. Part of the public speculated that terrorists have struck while others ran for cover. The cynical ones suspected that the police were running through a dummy test to keep themselves busy instead of enjoying the fun activities of the street. Electronic shops on Broadway were vociferous in voicing their gripes. Here finally it was a bright sunny day and they expected to make some money. As it is the Icelandic volcano had depleted their business on account of low tourist arrivals, and now this loss. They proactively offered 80% discount but there were no takers. People were scared, irritated, concerned and angry, and even having some fun with this heavy police action. Every now and then they’d try to defy the cops by pushing at the red ribbon, and the police would retaliate with warning words and gestures.

But my colleague and I were totally blocked on 8th Avenue for nearly 3 hours. In a corner of 45th St and 8^th Ave I spotted a woman police officer. She whispered to me that they are expecting some heavy explosion somewhere in Times Square. I called my sister-in-law in San Francisco and my wife in India to check out what’s happening from CNN breaking news. At 10 pm we were allowed to walk in the periphery of the heavily populated Times Square area, now totally vacant and eerie. 
Conclusion. On returning to my hotel I got the news from CNN at 2am on 2 May 2010 that it’s no more a hallucination of my Broadway show, it’s a reality show. I was dining on 45^th Street, even as the action happened between 44^thand 45^th Streets. A robot was directed to conduct investigations and defuse any bomb in the suspected car which had smoke spewing out from it. This was the real Broadway show in the heart of Times Square with NYPD (New York police department) as the actors. The curiosity of the masses was still high. Everybody wanted to watch the show from the sidelines, and it certainly was a hit in real life. Only in America can you see things so spectacularly. In world famous Times Square where the New York Times originated, unique things can happen, from entertainment to catastrophe. We were enjoying the different acts, and saw the face of the policemen change from indulging people’s fun to controlling them towards safety without causing panic so as to ensure that Times Square will never become a deserted place in future. It’s commendable that they controlled the vast crowds with skilful and sensitive police work.

A recent American TV program I saw had an administrative authority request citizens to help by immediately reporting whatever suspicious moves they see, as it’s not always possible for a central source to detect acts of terrorism which are extremely vulnerable. It’s a good suggestion that we too can take up in India to save our people’s lives.