New Yorkers are confessing their crimes and misdemeanors to a Brooklyn man without fear of retribution on a new apology hot line.
For about two months, “Mr. Apology” has peppered Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan with signs advertising his ‘sorry’ service: “Criminals Blue collar, white collar, you have wronged people. It is to people that you must apologize, not to the state, not to God. Get your misdeeds off your chest! Call APOLOGY *67 (347) 201-2446.”
“I think forgiveness is a very powerful thing — and not everyone has an outlet for that,” said the 37-year-old organizer, who met with a Post reporter but requested anonymity. “Some people can’t talk to family, don’t have religion or maybe they don’t even know how to forgive themselves.”
Sinners calling the hot line will hear a soft-spoken message recorded by the man, explaining that the call is recorded and urging people not to identify themselves.
When enough confessions are gathered, they will be played to the public — though the anonymous organizer said he isn’t yet sure exactly how to do this.
He assures callers that the service is not associated with any “police, governmental, religious or other organization.”
“I think it’s important that people can use the service without repercussions,” he said.
The endeavor follows the work of the late conceptual artist Allan Bridge — the original Mr. Apology, who in 1980 set up a confessional hot line called the Apology Line. The project later spawned a book and the 1986 film “Apology.” In fact, the ad of New York’s new apologist is a near-exact reprint of Allan’s original flyer.
Here are some of the things for which NYers are sorry:
* Man: “I would like to apologize to my ex-fianceé for leaving the apartment whenever we got into an argument. For staying in the relationship longer than I should have. For threatening to leave the relationship unless she sought professional help. For. . . looking at pornographic material while laying in bed next to her, secretly on my phone. For lying about looking at pornography . . . For not being willing to work on the relationship unless it was on my terms.I also want to apologize to my cousin for leaving her alone in a strange bar while I and a friend went to get stoned.”
* Woman: “I [slept with] my best friend’s boyfriend . . . and she doesn’t know.”
Man: “I wanted to apologize to a friend of mine I yelled at in my building the other day . . . we kind of both went at it for a while. I want to apologize if I got anyone else upset over the years . . . especially back in my own hometown.”
* Woman: “I stole something from the store and told the man f–k you, f–k you, f–k you but he never called the police. And I just wanted to say, ‘sorry.’ ”
* Woman: “I’m sorry, Alexis. I shouldn’t have left you.”
* Man: “I’m sorry that I got in to this really wicked, sick demented relationship with a girl. I’m 18 and she happens to be 16.”