Joker Stairs Flocked By Tourists, Bronx Residents Feel ‘Disrespected’

One of the pivotal scenes in Joker was when Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck turned into the infamous Clown Prince of Crime. One scene that stood out from the film is when the Joker fully transformed. He wore his suit, painted his face, and danced on the set of stairs in Gotham City as he splashes some water around. And now, it seems like the said scene made these stairs somewhat of a popular tourist attraction.

The actual filming location for the scene was in the Bronx neighborhood in New York City. Fans visit the infamous stairs for some photo ops and some local residents aren't necessarily fond of the flock of people at the place. Gothamist reports that residents are becoming frustrated, seeing that the stairs have gathered a lot of attention.

"We hope it ends soon because we don't need this, a resident named Jonathan Francis said. "We feel disrespected." The resident said his neighbors are having a hard time using the stairs to get to work or school. It even resulted in some of them not using the stairs at all, because they didn't want to appear in the fans' photos.

Eventually, posters were taped up along the staircase to warn the sightseers. The flier reads, "It is disrespectful to treat our community and residents as a photo opportunity." Brayan Feliz, also a resident, states that the tourists don't stick around. He apparently witnessed some people get out of their cars, take photos, then immediately leave the place.

The outlet says that Feliz doesn't want to "paint tourists as villains" but he leaves a message for future visitors. "Understand that it is not just selfies and hashtags," Feliz said. "Understand that people live in those places." He went on to say that tourists who take pictures on the stairs will "have an impact in that community."

Steven Gomez, a student whose apartment is located next to the stairway said that she doesn't see "what the hype is about." "You wanna come all the way from downtown to take pictures of some stairs?" Gomez adds.

It is without a doubt that the movie Joker made a really big impact on a lot of people. It is understandable as to why some people feel the need to take pictures on the infamous stairs. However, this could cause some concern over time if it isn't addressed properly. Hopefully, the fans and the residents could reach an agreement where both parties are comfortable about the situation on the Joker stairs.

Joker is currently screening in cinemas.

Also Read: Joker Set To Beat Deadpool As Highest-Grossing R-Rated Movie Of All Time