NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A ban on preachers along Bourbon Street after dark is creating a First Amendment fight.
The ordinance against aggressive solicitation was put in place nearly a year ago, but arrests during a gay pride festival two weeks ago are perhaps the first time the law has been enforced.
The ordinance passed in October bans spreading "any social, political or religious message between the hours of sunset and sunrise." City officials say it's a public safety measure to keep people moving at night along the crowded, raunchy strip.
During the Southern Decadence festival over Labor Day weekend, a group of nearly 10 street preachers were arrested. They are vowing to challenge the ordinance.
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