Bronx residents are getting tired of people’s fascination with the iconic Joker steps – and with good reason

There’s a scene towards the end of Joker where Arthur Fleck dances down some steps in full killer-clown regalia to a Gary Glitter soundtrack.

To most film critics, it was one of a series of eyeroll-worthy scenes in a movie carrying as much subtlety as the protagonist’s face of make-up. But some viewers saw it as an iconic moment which defined an act of auteurship providing succour to self-identifying outsiders across the world.

Regardless of your stance, the stairs now carry an undeniable cultural cache.

After leaving the cinema, I immediately Googled their location. I’d guessed deep Brooklyn, but they’re actually on the other side of the city in the Bronx.

Instagram showed that some fans had started making pilgrimages to the spot, far beyond the reach of a tourist’s typical range on a visit to the city, just north of Yankee Stadium. We reported on it last week, and over the weekend the number of visitors continued to rise.

Travel and tourism has an economic impact of upwards of $100bn (£780m) on New York state – so that could only be a good thing, right?

Not quite. On Tuesday, local news site Gothamist reported on residents’ increasing concern over the tourist influx.

“We hope it ends soon because we don’t need this,” one said. “We feel disrespected.”

Locals say photo hunters are hopping out of Ubers, or coming down from the platforms of 167 Street subway station for their picture opportunity before disappearing without spending a penny.

As of a couple days ago, posters were pasted to walls warning people not to treat the neighbourhood as a photo opportunity, and even Bronx local Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – better known to many as AOC – weighed in this week, reportedly telling TMZ that the stairs, which locals know have been there “forever”, are not the safest place to hang out anyway, before declaring: “Keep your Instagram posts out of Boogie Down! This is for us!!!”

It’s an issue that perfectly encapsulates the problematic real-world effects when a spotlight is suddenly shone on an area. Sure, people have been posing next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa ever since it, well, started leaning, for example. But now there is an entire class of Instagram-worthy locations where people flock to, to get the photo and then move on. They probably won’t stop for a sandwich, a coffee or a beer round 167 Street in the Bronx, and they’re probably staying in hotels in the centre of Manhattan. Their presence has very little tangible benefit for those who live and work in the area.

The citizens of Paris, Rome, and indeed Manhattan will put up with selfie sticks and tour buses; tourism is partly what makes these places what they are. But if you trek to streets which have been unfairly overlooked by both tourists and politicians for decades for a five-minute venture, don’t be surprised if you get a frosty reception.

Yours,

Dave Maclean

US features editor