Posted on 09/03/2012 3:14:52 PM PDT by scottjewell
Police say they yelled anti-gay slurs over bullhorns during a demonstration
Using a city law passed just last year, police in New Orleans arrested nine preachers for an anti-gay demonstration during Southern Decadence festivities in the French Quarter over the weekend.
Eight of the men were arrested on suspicion of aggressive solicitation under an ordinance that prohibits 'any person or group of persons to loiter or congregate on Bourbon Street for the purpose of disseminating any social, political or religious message between the hours of sunset and sunrise.'
A ninth man was arrested on suspicion of battery, resisting an officer and interfering with a law enforcement investigation. Justin Craft, 31, allegedly punched an officer who was attempting to confiscate his bullhorn, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Police said they did not know which organization the men represented.
Southern Decadence is gay festival which draws over 100,000 LGBT people to the state. This year's event took place as Isaac, now a tropical storm, caused heavy flooding in areas around the state and damage around the Gulf Coast - nearly seven years to the day after the devastating Hurricane Katrina.
Christian extremists pointed to the festival as evidence it was God punishing the United States for pushing the ‘homosexual agenda.'
“I believe in traditional marriage” is now an anti-gay slur. I am sure “repent” is also.
Deadly hurricanes hit NO...hmmmm....
I know, I know...just sayin
I just heard on the news that Obama was going to Louisiana. I couldn’t figure out why until I saw this thread.
Mystery solved. ;-)
Is this “festival” not a social event? Seems like the ordinance could be applied to the freakshow.
LOL
A bunch of weinie rump rangers and dykes, parading openly, and there were NO ARRESTS of the sex deviates, who I'm SURE didn't exhibit or utter 'social messages'.....
America; we've lost our way.......
Ironic, ain’t it?
So you don’t have 1st Amendment rights on Bourbon Street between sunrise and sunset? This won’t survive a court challenge.
I guess if they’re so in love with decadence that they want to revel and party in it, they’ll have all eternity to continue in it. But all alone, in the darkness, without peace, company, love, sympathy or hope. God bless those ministers. I hope they reached at least one soul.
“Eight of the men were arrested on suspicion of aggressive solicitation under an ordinance that prohibits ‘any person or group of persons to loiter or congregate on Bourbon Street for the purpose of disseminating any social, political or religious message between the hours of sunset and sunrise.’”
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Right - the more you examine it, the less sense it makes because the LGBTs do in fact hold their pride festivals and marches with a definite social and political message to be gleaned thereof. It seems that this ordinance holds true only for the Christian preachers and not for the preachers of LGBT pride.
Don't bet on it.....How can we have "Hate Crime" Laws, if 1st Amendment Protection allows Free Speech?
ONLY when we remove all Leftist Judges from EVERY Court will we get back to the PLAIN LANGUAGE of the Constitution, instead of contorted "interpretations", IMHO.
It sounds as though the preachers were carted off before they had a chance to be properly heard. I think the LGBT community views them as nuisances and little more than that. They tried and that is all that can be expected of any of us. But their audience was not receptive, of that you can be sure.
Absolutely. I have seen this kind of thing in action: Asking someone to take a look at the dissenting perspective is “homophobic” and “against equality” if not out and out “hate speech”.
Of course one can make a very strong case that the festival itself is shot through with political and social speech and hence is in violation of the ordinance. However in this and increasingly more and more cases it only applies to the tiresome and out-of-step Christians and not the prideful and politically correct gays.
You don’t think the parade had the necessary permits?
I don't CARE about the "Permits"....the point is that the whole decadent event was a social statement, politically-motivated, and there was no PROBLEM WITH THE LAW which supposedly prevents it. The establishment owners on Bourbon Street are surely in cohorts with law enforcement, when it comes to potential patrons, regardless of what sex deviates show up. We can't have honorable people messin' with their incomes, can we?
No wonder the place fills up with water. I’d build an ark if I lived around there.
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