Alleged attack on Strip shines spotlight on Las Vegas street performer rules

From his two decades as a busker, Shadow said he could fill a book with stories about the times he saw Las Vegas street performers harass and, in some cases, hustle patrons for tips, even though tipping is entirely optional.

The 70-year-old entertainer, who declined to give his real name, said he was a journalism major, stand-up comedian and a musician under the name Shadow James before he turned to writing comedic signs and performing under the name Shadow.

So when he saw a now-viral incident where a pair of showgirl impersonators allegedly attacked a patron on the Strip over a tip, Shadow said he was neither surprised by the incident nor bothered by local government officials’ attempts to re-educate the public about the law.

“I’ve seen worse,” he said in a recent interview on Fremont Street, where he has been performing for nearly 18 years.

“I can’t believe the amount of people who walk by and go, ‘What does it cost for a picture with you?’” said Shadow. “It costs nothing. If you choose to drop something in the cup on the way out, cool, because that’s how I make my living … but things have gotten way out of control from where they used to be.”

Tales of aggressive street performers pandering for tips have spanned years. Tripadvisor’s “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign” page includes hundreds of testimonials where patrons described being asked for tips by photographers, despite the site having a sign that says vendors are not licensed to operate there and that there are “no designated photographers.”

Now, the rules governing street performers have come into the spotlight after a North Carolina couple was attacked Sept. 30 by a pair of “feather girls” on the sidewalk in the 3600 block of Las Vegas Boulevard, outside Planet Hollywood, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.

The arresting officer wrote in the report that the scuffle began after the performers allegedly demanded more money after a man gave them a $20 tip.

Footage of the incident, which received national media attention, included one of the showgirl impersonators, Jennifer Ortiz, striking a man with her high-heeled boot, leaving a 2-inch gash on his forehead, according to the arrest report. A video posted on the Graceland Wedding Chapel’s Facebook page appeared to show the wound when the couple later got married at the Graceland Wedding Chapel.

Ortiz’s case is still pending and she’s scheduled to appear in court Dec. 3.

Ortiz was also charged earlier this year after a fighting incident at the Fremont Street Experience that the arresting officer from September called “similar” in his report. That case remains active as Ortiz received a 90-day suspended jail sentence and a 1-year stay-out-of-trouble-order, according to municipal court records.

Street performance regulations

Different governmental entities govern the rules for buskers on Fremont Street and the Strip, with the city of Las Vegas and Fremont Street Experience, LLC, regulating the downtown pedestrian mall.

Buskers must register with the city to participate in the daily lottery, which assigns a two-hour time slot for each of the 38 6-foot-wide circles along the 1,375-foot stretch.

“The circles are here because guys used to chase people down the street, grabbing them when they didn’t leave a tip,” Shadow said.

The Las Vegas Code of Ordinances includes restrictions on where performances can take place, as well as on noise and activities that could impede pedestrian traffic.

While the Strip does not have a performer lottery system, it also restricts activities that obstruct pedestrian traffic.

One major commonality is that tipping is not required for street performances, which are defined as a non-commercial activity.

For example, the Las Vegas Code of Ordinances explicitly states that “it is unlawful for a street performer to charge a fee for a performance within the Pedestrian Mall,” though it does allow the solicitation of tips or donations.

A member of a dance troupe that performed on Fremont Street on a recent weeknight became noticeably agitated by a lack of tips from a group of onlookers, raising his voice to his fellow performer and saying, “They don’t deserve your talent.”

Although the showgirl incident was not the sole impetus, Clark County recently changed digital marquees along the Strip to inform everyone of the law.

“The County puts messages up along Las Vegas Boulevard related to public safety,” Clark County spokesperson Jennifer Cooper said. “This summer, messages were focused on staying safe in the heat. Recent incidents prompted the signage related to tipping to help ensure tourists stay safe when visiting the Strip.”

Shadow said that similar signs have appeared at Fremont Street before and temporarily had a small impact on gratuities.

However, Shadow, who tells people he “amuses tourists for fun and profit,” said that outlandish tip requests and aggressiveness toward patrons have a bigger impact on him than the signs.

“It’s fun for me and I enjoy it, so if you don’t tip me, I don’t mind,” Shadow said. “Their behavior impacts me worse than those signs.”

He added: “I literally had one lady come up to take a picture with me, and her husband’s going, ‘No, no, no! He’s going to want $50, like the last guy did.’”

Contact Devan Patel at [email protected].