The Story of Let Hair Down and her confrontations with the NYPD Favorite 

Kanami Kusakima, also known as the woman who dances in Washington Square Park with the long black hair and the paint, was happy to allow the Mayor's Office of NYC use her image as a promotional tool for a "post-coivd" New York. Yet, she has had multiple encounters with police who want to shut her performance down. One of these instances was filmed and went viral, which gave Kusakima enough attention to gather over 3,000 signatures on a petition to stop the NYPD from abusing it's power like this. Through her art, she was able to gain enough attention to move people towards a cause. She is a figurehead for artists, or just New Yorkers in general, who have dealt with unnecessary police scrutiny in situations where they are doing nothing wrong.

https://www.curbed.com/2021/09/kanami-kusajima-dancer-washington-square-...