Good morning everyone, we’ve officially all made it halfway through the week. Celebrate with a new RantCrush entry as a reward! Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Aleppo Ceasefire Broken a Few Hours After it Was Reached

Last night, Russia declared that the battle over Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, was over. Rebel fighters and government forces reportedly reached a deal, which meant that evacuations were set to start this morning at 5 A.M. and the remaining rebels were to be transported to rebel-held territory. But this morning, fighting resumed and the evacuations were delayed.

An end to the fighting in Aleppo would be a huge development in the five-year-long war in Syria. The deal came just as the remaining citizens in Aleppo had lost all hope, and many sent out videos saying their goodbyes on social media. There have also been reports that government forces have entered buildings and executed civilians. It’s unclear what will happen next.

This is Aleppo: https://t.co/iresAnLQ55

— Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) December 14, 2016

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post RantCrush Top 5: December 14, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Topless women walking around New York City’s Times Square have found themselves at the center of controversy over the past few weeks. Adorned only in patriotic body paint, headdresses, heels, and thongs, these women–known as “desnudas” or “the naked ones”–offer to pose for pictures with gawking tourists in exchange for tips. But New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, doesn’t find their gimmick appealing in the slightest, and is already hatching plans to regulate their aggressive panhandling.

Times Square’s topless women should be regulated, NYC’s mayor says http://t.co/emWQnHmudV pic.twitter.com/yAA6ufG3ob

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 22, 2015

In a news conference last week De Blasio was quoted saying,

We are going to look for every appropriate way to regulate all activity that involves either begging, or asking people for a contribution based on, you know, the opportunity to take a picture, for example.

I don’t like the situation in Times Square, and we’re going to address it in a very aggressive manner.

Unfortunately for De Blasio, attacking this issue “aggressively” may not be so easy, especially since legally these women are doing nothing wrong. The Constitution’s First Amendment protects these performers’ rights to artistic expression, and in 1992 toplessness was ruled legal in New York City. Panhandling is protected as a form of free speech, but when it turns aggressive police can legally intervene.

This kind of hostile solicitation has indeed become a major issue for the city, due to some performers pressuring or even verbally accosting tourists for larger tips.

As a result, instead of trying to ban street performers altogether, De Blasio is currently considering ripping out the pedestrian plazas where these topless tip-seekers and their fellow characters congregate. But reintroducing more traffic back into the crowded tourist destination wouldn’t be without its own challenges. The concrete islands were only installed six years ago, and after some initial criticism they have been praised as an innovation in urban design.

The Times Square Alliance, a business group that helped revitalize the tourist destination, is already speaking out against De Blasio’s proposal. The group’s president Tim Tompkins told the New York Times,

Sure, let’s tear up Broadway. We can’t govern, manage or police our public spaces so we should just tear them up. That’s not a solution. It’s a surrender.

New York City Council member Corey Johnson has a different option. He and fellow councilman Daniel R. Garodnick are working on a bill that would limit when and where the desnudas and other costumed characters could operate. By limiting them to designated areas, Johnson hopes to rein in the performers, while allowing tourists the option of interacting with them or not.

The real question is whether or not the “desnudas” are being targeted unfairly in their own right. Hundreds of topless female and male protestors marching in New York on Sunday in honor of National Go Topless Day showed their support for the bare-breasted performers and expressed disapproval over De Blasio’s attempt to disband them. But if the mayor’s proposal targets the issue of aggressive panhandling rather than an issue with nudity, he may end up gaining more support as time goes on.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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