The owners of 780 Third Avenue in New York have caused quite the controversy after kicking people out of the public plaza on the street outside. Their reason for doing so is that, allegedly, they want to keep the image of building high class and that means no riff-raff, AKA regular folk, sitting on the benches despite the signs claiming the space is open for all.
The controversy has taken off as people online have complained about the blatant inequality and elitism on display by the building’s owners. In a video shared on Instagram, an elderly couple are seen being told to leave the area by a security guard despite them doing nothing more than sitting on a bench in a public space.
The old man points to the engraving that says “welcome,” asking, “Why do you have it carved in the granite, ‘welcome’ if we’re not welcome?” The man has a point, it certainly seems contradictory to have signs encouraging people to make use of the public space while simultaneously hiring security guards to threaten and bully people out of said space.
The viral video on Instagram was posted by “Lord of Bench,” and he showed several people being kicked out of the public space. He even confronted the security guards who threatened to get physical with him and in another clip threatened his life. Another security guard more calmly explained that she had been told to remove people from the plaza as the building owners wanted to maintain “the beauty of the building.”
The response to 780 Third Avenue owners
The attitude displayed by the building owners is the exact antithesis of everything a public space is supposed to be. While the area is considered a privately owned public space that shouldn’t give the owners and security the right to throw people out of it just because they don’t like the look of them.
People are rightfully mad and disgusted by this gross attitude and have therefore decided to pay a visit to the public space themselves. “48th and 3rd Ave. I’m gonna eat lunch there tomorrow,” one person commented on Instagram, “I’m going to sit there all the time,” added another. One person even vowed to fly all the way in from Hong Kong just to sit on the bench.
One person on TikTok recorded themselves visiting the spot but they were immediately told to move.
It may not seem like much, but places for people to sit and converse outside are important building blocks for communities. Such spaces should allow for people from all walks of life to use them. The plaza has a plaque which specifically says it’s for everyone to use, as long as nobody is doing anything against the law or behaving in an anti-social way then they should not be forced to move by aggressive security guards.
Published: May 18, 2026 12:48 pm