CITY HALL — Times Square's costumed characters stole the show at a City Council hearing held Wednesday to discuss proposed legislation that would regulate commercial activity in the city's pedestrian plazas.
Before the hearing began, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez warned attendees — including Batman impersonator Jose Escalona-Martinez, 42, Spider-Man Abdelamine Elkhezzani, 37, and The Joker Keith Albahae, 49 — that masks were not allowed in the chambers.
“If anyone puts on a mask, they will be taken out of the room,” he said.
The superhero impersonators complied, but not without taking issue with the rules.
"The real problem is about looking different, OK?" Albahae said.
We live-tweeted highlights from the hearing — and all of the characters who testified.