As a resident of New York City, I try to avoid Times Square at all costs. I’ve had the typical Times Square experiences of pushing through tourists donning large cameras, walking by religious groups shoving papers in my face, and telling off a comedy club promoter or two (Stop asking me if I like to laugh!).

But perhaps the biggest reason I try to steer clear of Times Square is the street characters. Elmo has never looked scarier, Woody looks like a rapist, and I’m pretty sure Dora the Explorer is probably a man under her big foam head. If they didn’t cause enough discomfort before, these characters are now making headlines for lashing out at passersby.

There needs to be stricter guidelines as to what street characters are and are not allowed to do and say. There have been countless times that I have been walking through Times Square and a muffled voice coming through a Buzz Lightyear head or an Elmo mask hits on me. I’ve even seen some of these characters reach out to hug other random women on the street that were clearly not interested—or even with children! There have been other reports of characters holding on to children as a type of ransom until parents tips them a few dollars.

These rebelling costumed characters have become known as “Ranting Elmo” and “Crazed Cookie Monster”, among other nicknames. Reports have been filed against a Super-Mario for allegedly groping a woman. A mother even claimed that a Spiderman threw punches at her as she took a photo of her child in front of Toys R Us. There’s nothing scarier for both children and adults than seeing childhood heroes transform into monsters right in front of their eyes.

The right for these costumed characters to be in Times Square is protected under the First Amendment, but something has to be done to regulate the behaviors of these characters or stop them completely. The laws here get tricky because it’s not like the characters are contributing to noise pollution with an amplified instrument, blocking the street, or affiliated with any legitimate brand or company. Because they are there for “suggested tips only” (although they frequently demand tips—a Cookie Monster supposedly pushed a toddler because his mother didn’t get her money out fast enough!), they are protected because they are seen as simply people hanging out in Times Square.

It is absolutely ridiculous to me that these street performers (and I use the term ‘performers’ loosely) are allowed to stay in Times Square despite their outlandish behavior. What might even be worse is the fact that parents still let their children anywhere near these characters. Children cannot see past the poorly made costumes and realize that there is potential danger there, but adults should see that these are strangers who probably can’t be trusted. It is unfair that these masked, potentially dangerous strangers are able to find protection under the law without being punished for their crude behavior.