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SoHo Residents J'accuse Anna Wintour Of Turning Neighborhood Into A "Zoo"
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 10, 2012
Modified Sep 10, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 10, 2012
Modified Sep 10, 2012
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Original photo of SoHo via zokuga's flickr
We've still got four more days of Fashion Week to come, but the residents of SoHo are already so over it. This year the Fashion's Night Out events became a little more out of control than in previous years—particularly when a mob trashed one man's car on Broadway and Bleecker Street. This kind of ugly mayhem is probably not what Anna Wintour had in mind when she created the annual one-night event back in 2009—which basically invites the common people to come out and play fashionista for the night—but it is perhaps what the masses have transformed it into. Like pajama jeans and Zubaz before it, is it time to retire the ol' gal?
The SoHo Alliance and NoHo Neighborhood Association are declaring that the event has officially outlived its welcome, and holds the Vogue editrix (and fellow SoHo resident) responsible for bringing chaos to the streets. In an email we received this morning, they wrote:
"Stores hand out free booze without checking IDs. Word of it spreads. Crowds show up. When the stores shut, thousands of tipsy kids are forced onto the streets, looking for fun/trouble.
By 2011, the trouble escalated. Bedlam sprung up during one fashion event. The NYPD or private security were nowhere in sight to control the mob. Watch here.
This year it really turned ugly. Police were scarce. Violence and destruction erupted on Broadway. One victim says it took twenty minutes for the NYPD to arrive! We have heard additional reports of unruly crowds in the Meat Market, Greenwich Village and NoHo. This free-for-all has got to stop before someone gets seriously injured. At the very least, IDs must be checked and there must a greater police presence to curb rowdies.
The SoHo Alliance and the NoHo Neighborhood Association have contacted Community Board 2 which promised to hold a hearing soon to try to get this dangerous situation under control.
So, no open bar at this thing then? We'll update once the meeting has taken place, but it seems like the residents may take matters into their own hands before then, saying, "We think Anna Wintour, who lives in a townhouse on Sullivan Street, should be held responsible for creating this zoo in her neighborhood. Perhaps a demonstration in front of her home would get her attention?"
Tagged
anna wintour
fashion week
fashion's night out
soho
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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