Minnie Mouse and the Penguin from Batman huddled together, looking concerned. They were soon joined by Super Mario, Elmo, Hello Kitty and Goofy, who was carrying his big, plush head in his hands. After a few minutes of talking, they lined up in a row and began to clap and cheer: “Si se puede! Yes we can!”

These and dozens of other cartoon characters who populate Times Square gathered on Tuesday for a news conference to address their public image, which has recently devolved to seem more like the wicked stepmother’s than Cinderella’s.

The street performers have formed a group, New York Artists United for a Smile, that is hoping to create a culture of respect for them and for police officers, asking that the Police Department respect them in turn.

While the performers have pledged to create a system that would help internally regulate their organization and weed out the “bad apples” that have caused problems in the area, they also said they believed the police were singling them out unfairly.