Lennon memorial tender could face charges

NEW YORK, April 14 (UPI) -- A homeless man who has tended John Lennon's memorial site in New York's Central Park for more than 15 years said police are trying to drive him away.

Ayrton "Gary" dos Santos, also known as the "Mayor of Strawberry Fields," said police have threatened to charge him with littering and assembling large groups without a permit, after he spent 15 years spreading flowers across the site and speaking to visitors about the former Beatle, the New York Post reported Monday.

"They told me I needed a permit if I wanted to bring large groups of people," dos Santos said, "But I don't bring them here. The guides ask me to speak to them."

Police said they have received complaints from people who claimed dos Santos has harassed visitors, conducted tours for money and demanded money from a Japanese film shooting footage for a documentary.

Dos Santos denied the allegations.

"I never ask for money. I do tell people that if they want to make a wish, they can throw some change into the guitar I place down," he said. "All I'm trying to do is give what the brother (Lennon) wanted -- peace."