Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has told tourists to stay away from a staircase in the South Bronx that has become something of a magnet thanks to the new Joker movie.
AOC addressed the sudden influx of visitors to the enormous staircase, located at 167th Street in the New York City borough, where film fans have tried to replicate a scene with Joaquin Phoenix’s loner character dancing after transforming into the titular alter-ego.
Ocasio-Cortez – who represents part of east Bronx and was born in the borough – admitted to TMZ: ‘When I was growing up everyone would tell us to stay away from those steps or go with a friend.’
Questioned why it was a place to be avoided she said: ‘You know, you go there at night… whatever the Bronx is much safer now.’
Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Tuesday from Capitol Hill, Washington DC: ‘When I was growing up everyone would tell us to stay away from those steps or go with a friend’
In the new Joker film, Joaquin Phoenix’s character treks up the steps every day. The stairs are near character Arthur Fleck’s apartment and feature on posters, billboards, and adverts
AOC called the staircase on 167th Street ‘classic’ and said many had been trying to skate, slide and dance down them long before the new Joker movie
Speaking from Capitol Hill, Washington DC on Tuesday, AOC revealed her real gripe with the appearance of tourists, after character Arthur Fleck was seen in the movie transforming in to the Joker.
‘I think the way a lot of us feel is; keep your Instagram posts out of the Boogie Down,’ she confessed, addressing a term from the Man Parrish song.
Laughing about the area that played large role in the birth of hip-hop music, she added: ‘This is for us!’
Asked about her favorite memories of the location, AOC shared that she was nearby recently for a meeting for which that she couldn’t quite recall.
Nowadays she’s more likely to be passing by to head to the Board of Elections.
‘It’s classic precisely because they’re so long. People try to skate on them, slide on them…’ she explained.
AOC added that the location was a hot spot long before the motion picture came out.
Now regular people (including those in costume) are getting in on the act in South Bronx
The staircase is proving popular with Halloween approaching and the Joker a popular costume
For those not in makeup, the colors of the Joke in red, yellow and blue will do
Each person who visits the area has their own take and interpretation on the Joker’s antics
Since the release of Joker more than two weeks ago, many New Yorkers and out-of-towners traveled there to gawk, take selfies – and sometimes ham it up
‘People have been doing that dance for a long time,’ she quipped. Acknowledging the tourist buzz increasing visits to the neighborhood, the politician said: ‘We gotta own it though. We can’t let anyone take that away.’
Film fans are now heading to the location, between Anderson and Shakespeare avenues, in an attempt to capture the perfect Instagram shot for themselves.
AOC isn’t the only one who is surprised. For longtime Bronx residents like Laura Harry, step streets are a common feature in the hilly landscape.
‘I’ve lived around here for 30 years… people use them every day,’ Harry told Reuters, as she stood at the top of the steep stairs with her groceries, gazing at the people below. ‘I’m fascinated, because they made the steps famous.’
But as cosplayers and Instagram influencers are all making their way up to the area that doesn’t normally make it onto visitors’ lists of must-see attractions, locals have found plenty to laugh about.
Locals suggested that the area was ripe for robbing people and another pointed out how long it takes to tackle the steps
When Arthur Fleck becomes The Joker he dances triumphantly back down them… and now tourists are also attempting to reenact the move
The South Bronx has not long been on a list of must-see attractions for out-of-towners but the Joker movie is encouraging people to visit the borough
Even this little dog is now getting in on the Joker act
‘White people finna travel to the Bronx to dance on them stairs like the Joker and end up getting robbed, I love it,’ one Twitter user laughed.
Another tweeted urging people to stay away: ‘Them stairs ain’t nothing but an asthma attack and a swift robbery set up… But you know … Welcome to The South Bronx.’
While the borough has struggled with its reputation as a dangerous place, it is perhaps ironic that a threatening figure like the Joker may have helped burnish its image.
Joker has dominated the box-office for more than two weeks. It broke the record for the largest October opening weekend in movie history, at $96.2 million.
Others have welcomed attention to the place that’s short walk away from Yankee Stadium, and where the biggest draws are usually the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Gardens.
‘It’s good for us. You know, publicity,’ Jose Cruz, a longtime resident who climbs the 131 steps at West 167th Street daily, told Reuters. ‘People don’t have to be scared of the Bronx no more, the way they used to.’
Jay Garcia, a radio host from Queens, dances down the ‘Joker Steps’ in the Bronx, New York
Patricio Osuna, a tourist from Tijuana Mexico, poses atop the ‘Joker steps’ in the Bronx borough of New York, October 16