Latest news with #UnderNewYork
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NYC subway musicians fear underground crime as assaults surge: ‘You learn how to protect yourself'
Their fears strike a dark note. Subway musicians said they're worried about violent crime as assaults surge underground — even while they vied for prime performance spots at MTA-held auditions Wednesday. 'Part of the grit of being a native New Yorker, you learn how to protect yourself. I try to pick stations with a police presence,' said Chanise Elife, 42, of Harlem, who plays 70 instruments. 'The one I feel most comfortable in is 50th Street on the downtown one train. There is a man there whose job it is to stop fare evaders,' said Elife. 'He keeps [a] sharp eye and really makes me feel safe.' A total of 54 buskers — ranging from opera singers to country crooners — auditioned at Grand Central Station for placement in the MTA's 'Under New York' music program Wednesday. Only 20 performers were given the coveted MTA passes, which allows them to play at some of the city's busiest stations, such as Times Square. One musician said he's had close calls in recent months as subway crime goes off the rails — including with the case of a cellist who was attacked by an unhinged stranger last year. 'We had some experiences, let's just call them tests already,' said Tom Eaton, 24, who plays in a brass band started in Troy, New York. 'Honestly, there are six of us and we're playing big heavy instruments. Plus we got our start in downtown Troy. We had some experiences, let's just call them tests already. Busking in downtown Troy is not easy,' he added. 'So, yeah, I guess we're ready for the big leagues.' In April, data revealed assaults have spiked in the subway system this year with felony assaults up 9% — increasing from 168 to 183 over the same period last year. That's up a staggering 55% from before the pandemic in 2019, the data show. But Nedelka Prescod, 54, of East Flatbush, said she has no plans to stop playing music underground. 'For me my music is my ministry…The human voice can heal community,' said Prescod, who taught at the Berkeley College of Music in Boston. 'Everybody has some good.' Prescod said she didn't have fear because she had someone upstairs watching her underground. 'I'm a praying person. I know it's about bringing light love and I have the intention that where I walk it will be loving and peaceful,' she said. 'I used to teach in Fort Greene projects during the 90s crack epidemic. I learned that everybody has some good in there and if you talk to that, the good, it comes forth.' In last year's subway attack a 23-year-old woman with eight prior arrests clobbered cellist Iain S. Forrest, 29, in the head as he performed in the Herald Square station. Amira Hunter was busted a day after the attack, and after beining initally released, she was finally held on $10,000 bail. Forrest, meanwhile was able to return to playing in the subway about a month later — and played the national anthem before a Knicks game he started an advocacy group for subway performers.
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
NYC subway musicians fear underground crime as assaults surge: ‘You learn how to protect yourself'
Their fears strike a dark note. Subway musicians said they're worried about violent crime as assaults surge underground — even while they vied for prime performance spots at MTA-held auditions Wednesday. 'Part of the grit of being a native New Yorker, you learn how to protect yourself. I try to pick stations with a police presence,' said Chanise Elife, 42, of Harlem, who plays 70 instruments. Advertisement 5 Trojan Horn Brass Band auditioned for plum spots at NYC subway stations. Matthew McDermott 'The one I feel most comfortable in is 50th Street on the downtown one train. There is a man there whose job it is to stop fare evaders,' said Elife. 'He keeps [a] sharp eye and really makes me feel safe.' A total of 54 buskers — ranging from opera singers to country crooners — auditioned at Grand Central Station for placement in the MTA's 'Under New York' music program Wednesday. Advertisement Only 20 performers were given the coveted MTA passes, which allows them to play at some of the city's busiest stations, such as Times Square. One musician said he's had close calls in recent months as subway crime goes off the rails — including with the case of a cellist who was attacked by an unhinged stranger last year. 'We had some experiences, let's just call them tests already,' said Tom Eaton, 24, who plays in a brass band started in Troy, New York. 5 The MTA held it's 'Music Under New York' auditions on May 14, 2025 for musicians to be permitted to perform inside the city's subway system. Matthew McDermott Advertisement 5 Subway buskers said they fear crime underground as the number of assaults spiked this year. Matthew McDermott 'Honestly, there are six of us and we're playing big heavy instruments. Plus we got our start in downtown Troy. We had some experiences, let's just call them tests already. Busking in downtown Troy is not easy,' he added. 'So, yeah, I guess we're ready for the big leagues.' In April, data revealed assaults have spiked in the subway system this year with felony assaults up 9% — increasing from 168 to 183 over the same period last year. Advertisement That's up a staggering 55% from before the pandemic in 2019, the data show. 5 Musician Nedelka Prescod said she'll keep playing is subway stations. Matthew McDermott But Nedelka Prescod, 54, of East Flatbush, said she has no plans to stop playing music underground. 'For me my music is my ministry…The human voice can heal community,' said Prescod, who teaches at the Berkeley College of Music in Boston. 'Everybody has some good.' Prescod said she didn't have fear because she had someone upstairs watching her underground. 'I'm a praying person. I know it's about bringing light love and I have the intention that where I walk it will be loving and peaceful,' she said. 'I used to teach in Fort Greene projects during the 90s crackhead epidemic. I learned that everybody has some good in there and if you talk to that, the good, it comes forth.' 5 A subway performer auditioning for 'Music Under New York.' Matthew McDermott Advertisement In last year's subway attack a 23-year-old woman with eight prior arrests clobbered cellist Iain S. Forrest, 29, in the head as he performed in the Herald Square station. Amira Hunter was busted a day after the attack, and after beining initally released, she was finally held on $10,000 bail. Forrest, meanwhile was able to return to playing in the subway about a month later — and played the national anthem before a Knicks game he started an advocacy group for subway performers.
New York Post
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Attacked subway cellist plays national anthem for Knicks
He's rebounded beautifully. Subway busker Iain Forrest, who made headlines last year when he was viciously attacked by an unhinged stranger in a caught-on-camera beatdown at the Herald Square station, has taken his talent from the MTA to the NBA. Forrest has played the national anthem before Knicks games on his electric cello on the floor of Madison Square Garden. Advertisement 'Spike Lee . . . came up to me, shook my hand, and said, 'You know, you played that like a mother — well, you can fill in the rest of that word,' Forrest told The Post ahead of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when the Knicks take on the Celtics. Forrest, 30, went viral during one performance when his noise-canceling earpieces malfunctioned and he couldn't hear himself playing. Cellist Iain Forrest said playing on the court at Madison Square Garden is 'a feeling like no other.' Michelle Farsi/MSGE(S) Advertisement 'I was freaking out. I thought, 'I'm playing the wrong notes. It probably sounds terrible. I'm going to get booed at the end.' But people were cheering, clapping and standing up,' he recalled. Forrest has also played songs like Rihanna's 'We Found Love' during halftime, and said it's surreal being on the same stage as basketball royalty. 'I walk out on the court to do my soundcheck. That's the same time that all the players are warming up, so you're just casually passing by [Jalen] Brunson,' he said. 'A few of the guys come up and say, 'Wow, I've never seen a cello look like that before' and they remember me now and say, 'Have a good performance tonight.' It's almost like I'm part of the Knicks family.' Advertisement Forrest, a New Jersey native who was raised on the Upper East Side and in Maryland, moved back to New York in 2017 to start Mt. Sinai Medical School. While hitting the books, he also strums his cello underground as part of the MTA's 'Under New York' music program. The busker's musical genius was quickly discovered by multi-platinum recording artist and subway rider Josh Groban back in 2019. 'He saw me perform a few times, loved it, took my card and his manager called me and said, 'Hey, we're doing a show at Radio City, we'd love to have you.'' Advertisement Executives with the Yankees, who were in the audience at Radio City, reached out to Forrest — and that led to his gigs with the baseball team and then with the Knicks. Forrest was randomly attacked while performing at the Herald Square subway station in 2024. IainSForrest/X Forrest, who is graduating from medical school this month and already landed a job at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital in Maryland, has more than moved on from the February 2024 subway attack — where a woman bashed him in the head with his own metal water bottle. 'If you look at the video, the person's like lurking behind me as I'm playing for a while and then just out of nowhere, bam . . . never saw the person, never knew who the hell this person was,' he recalled. The woman accused in the attack, Brooklyn resident Amira Hunter, a 23-year-old with eight prior arrests, 'is being tested for competence to see if she can stand trial,' he said. A month after the 2024 attack, Forrest, who started an advocacy group for the safety of subway performers, was back playing for MTA commuters and the Knicks' most famous fans. Advertisement 'Once Larry David was walking by with daughter, so I'm like, 'Oh my God, Hey, how's it going, Larry?' And he's just like, 'It's going great; you sound awesome,'' he recalled. 'My wife recorded it and she's like, 'That's crazy . . . Larry David likes your music.''
