New York, NY - Sleepy New Yorkers beware: Putting your feet up on a subway seat during a late-night train ride can land you behind bars.
The New York Times reports (http://nyti.ms/ygZ61w ) that police arrested 1,600 people last year for violating a 7-year-old law that makes it a crime to put your feet up on the subway or sprawl out over more than one seat, even if the train is empty.
Another 6,000 people escaped arrest but got hit with a $50 fine.
The practice of tossing people in jail for an etiquette infraction has outraged some lawyers, who say it is overly harsh.
Police Department spokesman Paul Browne says rigorous enforcement makes the subway system safer.
He says many of those subway rule-breakers turn out to be wanted felons.
In a recent decision, a Brooklyn judge, Noach Dear, dismissed the case of a man cited for taking up more than one seat on an A train at 3:10 a.m. on Dec. 24. “There appears to be a disconnect between the code’s goals and its enforcement,” Judge Dear wrote in his decision. He said that he and other Brooklyn judges had found these arrests happened “late at night or early in the morning when subways are generally at their least crowded levels.”
[b] http://www.vosizneias.com/98353/2012/01/07/new-york-ny-1600-arrested-for-putting-feet-up-on-subway/
NYTimes
William D. Peppers recalled how empty the subway car was. It was not yet 4 a.m. on a Friday, so most of New York was still asleep, but he was already late for his job at a Bronx bakery. As his train passed through Midtown Manhattan, Mr. Peppers stretched out, closed his eyes and nodded off.
Mr. Peppers had put his feet up on a subway seat, and that, the officer informed him, was a crime — one that in his case would lead to his arrest. He spent 12 hours in jail before he saw a judge, and was released after pleading guilty.
“I can see if it was rush hour, but there was no one else on the train. Why not just say, ‘Put your feet down’? ” said Mr. Peppers, a maintenance man at the bakery. “I lost a day of work because of their pettiness. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/07/nyregion/minor-offense-on-ny-subway-can-bring-ticket-or-handcuffs.html?pagewanted=all
To serve and protect…:rofl serve who? protect what?
Report stolen car/bike to poilce: “Nothing we can do about it, call your insurance company”
Put you feet up at 4am in empty subway: “Sir I’ma gonna go ahead and put you in Jail”
These people are the worst type of scum and I’m glad the police are finally taking the issue seriously. Murderers, rapists, molestors and people who put their feet up your day of reckoning has come!
My bum is on the subway… my bum is on the subway. :skid
Is there a sign or something letting you know this retarded shit is a law? becasue I never heard of it and would be straight pissed if i got a ticket on a vacation to the C(hit)ity and rode a subway for some reason.
Thats assassin. Not putting your feet up is a common courtesy… and even if someone did and someone had to stand or be uncomfortable with their personal space is just called being a douchbag not a criminal… its not like any real harm was created. Is there a law about not holding the door for someone coming behind you too??? or standing on 2 steps on the escalator instead of both feet on one? its the same shit.
There are thousands of laws people can be unknowingly roped into “breaking” just by walking down the street in public. Enforcing every single thing that happens to fit the page and a half description for simple common sense laws is pathetic. BUT the laws are there to pay a penalty for someone doing something to the point that it causes REAL harm to someone or some property. Like this one… dude puts his feet up, and someone trips over him, falls and gets hurt. NOT becasue it was to busy and some poor guy had to stand instead of sit there… becasue they are allowed to stand instead of sit, so the liability is already accepted by the guy forced to stand becasue of the lazy dick with his feet up… dont like it… get off the train and wait for the next one.
^ Agree 100%. It’s just another tax on people of New York and nothing more. It is common courtesy to keep your feet on the ground but even if someone is rude enough to do that they should not be arrested much less fined. There are far more important safety concerns on a New York City subway rather than feet.
no doubt. how about the people smoking outside busy main entrances and shit. that is more of a health risk, and courtesy issue than this feet crap. Hell you could ticket about 50 people a day outside the building at my work!
Really? You idiots can’t think of one reason that a law about not taking up two seats on a subway in NY might be helpful? or sprawling on several seats? interesting…you act like police just walk in a subway and arrest everyone with their feet up when in reality its just for douchebags who wont make room for a person when theres no seats left, or homeless/drunk people sprawled out over 4 seats, hence only 1600 people got arrested for it in NYC where millions take the subway daily.
Did you not read the article? They said most of these arrests were happening during non peak hours where there maybe no one or only a few on the train. I could completely understand some of these if it was obstructing other passengers for taking a seat, but when no one is on the train? Come the fuck on.
Silver… ummm… you apparently didnt read-comprehend what I said. I agreed-ed with you. And apparently you didnt read-comprehend the article either… Rather sure they said this dude was on it at 3AM when the seats were free all around him.
Big Brother at its worst really. With the economy in the shitter local, state and federal government looks towards the population for cash and a law like this is a perfect example of that. As things get tighter so does their grip on the common mans wallet and at a time when ridiculous fines like this can’t be afforded.
You can see it on the thruway with the upsurge in trooper activity. All they are is cash registers in purple ties.
not you, others are making it seem like its some way police can just abuse power. not only that but he probably was on it at 3am with noone around him…he was probaby also acting likea douche for no reason so he was charged with everthing he could be.
Yep, the paper lady that delivers STACKS of newspapers to our building and many more on N.Peal got a $50 parking ticket for parking in an expired spot infront of the building for 1 minute, with open spaces all around her car… so its not inconviencing anyone else.
her trunk was open and the second she walked away the parking cunt walked over and quckly typed the ticket… as we all yelled at her give her a break she wont be there for more than 2 minutes she drops papers off every day, its not causing any harm… lady naturally flipped out as she was walked back outside to see it happening… drove off pissed with a $50 ticket. took all of 3 minutes start to finish with that entire shit show.
ohh. I was gunna say… I thought we sounded like we were on the same page. lol
who knows, dude coulda made a stink for sure… but based on the time and assumed level of occupancy/lack of inconvenience… justified (as long as he wasnt harassing or going to ballistic)
Some chode on the LIRR bitched at me for having my feet up after walking around the city for 12 hours a couple weeks ago. I put my feet down and back up as soon as he walked away. Fuck that.
Now this video actually made more sense. NYPD are simply all tied up catching people putting feet up in the subway to care about shit like this that happens on the street right next to them.
