Costumed characters who pose for tips gather on a sidewalk in New York's Times Square, US June 9, 2016. But attorney Linda Steinman, representing the Times Square Alliance business group, said the new rules are consistent with case law permitting restrictions on the time, place and manner of speech. Some lawyers and performers say the new rules infringe on performers’ First Amendment rights. Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins said that in the past a lot of tourists didn’t realize a tip was expected and the performers were often “aggressive about insisting on a tip.”The organization originally handed out fliers to tourists reminding them that tipping is optional. Street performers dressed like Iron Man, the Hulk and Anna from “Frozen” accosted tourists in Times Square, demanded cash from them, refused to give them change and were arrested on Thursday just hours after the city started painting teal rectangles in pedestrian plazas to confine the costumed characters, police said.

Source: Hindustan Times June 10, 2016 00:45 UTC