Saboteurs of the Times Square Debt Clock

There was apparently a whole group dedicated to ending the clock - or getting control over it so they could decide what to display on it.

Once morning in 1990 in New York, I was rushing to get to my job at Street News on time. I came dashing up from the subway and jaywalked right across the road (dangerous in Times Square) with a few minutes to spare. As I was entering the Street News building on the ground floor to go to the elevators … a black bike courier and a young tough guy (likely Italian) were trying to enter the revolving door at the same time from opposite sides. The bike courier pushed from his end and spun the door just as the young guy was entering on his side and the door came around and hit the young (Italian?) guy in the face. It was an avoidable accident but both of them had been looking at the floor as they entered the revolving dias.

The young guy was furious he got hit in the face and appeared to be trying to recruit his companion - a slightly bigger older guy - into kicking this poor bike courier’s ass. I don’t want to slur them but the Italian kid and his companion were in nice suits and just glowed with bada-bing, bada-boom. I am sorry but that was my impression.

I was running late and had about 45 seconds to make the office door upstairs so I intervened to try to keep them from getting into a fight in front of the office building. I put the dead level gaze on the young guy and reminded him you have to keep your head up in New York city and watch where you’re going. I spoke respectfully and kept my eyes locked with him … as I expected, he calmed down and the courier was allowed to pass. In the gap, I slipped into the building, jumped in the elevator and barely made the office lobby of Street News with seconds to spare.