You can’t take holy men nowhere these days: If they’re not getting sloshed on wine and throwing their mothers under the bus, they’re publicly exposing themselves for kicks.
The latest men to soil the cloth are nine preachers who were arrested over the weekend for yelling anti-gay slurs over bullhorns at revelers of the annual Southern Decadence party.
Patrick O’Connell, 45, Rolando Igleasias, 31, Cesar Chavez, 22, Daniel Hoogerhuis, 26, Danny Guevera, 20, Larry Craft, 52, Montes Diego, 32 and Gary Brown, 33 were arrested on suspicion of aggressive solicitation, a city law passed last October.
The ordinance 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 — Justin Craft, 31 — was arrested for suspicion of battery and resisting arrest after punching a police officer who tried to take his bullhorn away. That oughta teach that cop never to get in the way of a bigot and his bull!
How about we take this to the next level?
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According to a witness, in addition to the gay slurs, the pastoral protesters also mentioned Hurricane Katrina victims, no doubt in reference to the inane belief that the gays were bringing about the end of civilization, or at least New Orleans, with all their damn pride and accursed decadence.
Last time we checked however, Louisiana managed to survive a bunch of drag queens stumbling around with their heels off and shirtless gay dudes fist-pumping to “Call Me Maybe.”
Dumdum
That is just priceless.I love poetic justice,don’t you?
tdx3fan
I hate to spoil the party…
The city does not have the right to make such a law. Such a law violates the first amendment of the constitution of the United States. Freedoms of Speech and Freedom of Religion is being violated under this law. When the dust settles, this law will most likely be thrown out of the window, and the only person that will have charges still pending will be the guy who assaulted the officer. Of course, if you were violating my rights and falsely arresting me then I would most definitely stand up for myself as well.
You all know that if these had been 9 gay guys at a religious convention that would have been arrested for protesting you would be all up in arms and screaming about how a grave injustice had been done, and because of the vagueness of this law, it seems like gay people could easily be arrested for promoting a “social agenda” on Bourbon Street between the hours of sunset and sunrise.
Buendja
I didn’t even know that law was in place, and I’m glad it is. It’s to protect the both people spreading the hate and party goers. These priest are just jealous they couldn’t join the party. And no there is not gay agenda spread cause no ones running around screaming anti-hetro slurs, signs saying god hates str8s/breeders. Been there done that, it’s just a huge party!
hf2hvit
@Buendja: “These priest are just jealous they couldn’t join the party. ”
No…they’re probably jealous that they couldn’t PUBLICLY join the party.
They’re probably members of Larry Craig’s Men’s Room Toe Tappin’ Boogie Dance Troupe
niles
Good riddance! People should have the right to party on Bourbon Street without being hassled.
Dumdum
@tdx3fan: Dude what are you even doing making comments on this site??? How would you like it if I invaded your space and told you that breeders are destroying this planet and pumping out babies to lay claim to their futile and pointless lives? The hetro-agenda to populate the world with a bunch of knuckle dragging morons feasting on fast food and pounding their chests screaming bloody murder whenever anyone wants to enjoy equal rights.
tdx3fan
@Dumdum: I do not have the right to make comments because I disagree with you. Yet, you can not dispute my claim that if this was 9 gay guys that were arrested we would all rally around them. Freedom of speech is protected in this country and it should be protected in this country REGARDLESS of who is speaking. I do not have to agree with someone to respect their RIGHTS to freedom of speech.
This is a law that at its core restricts the freedom of speech. At its very core it is unconstitutional.
Camerado
I’m gay and have to agree with tdx3fan that this law is unconstitutional. Bourbon Street is a public street, and as such the government can’t be the arbiter of what speech is and isn’t allowed there. The preachers’ speech is offensive, yes, but the First Amendment protects offensive speech.
Furthermore, anyone who’s ever been been on Bourbon Street “between the hours of sunset and sunrise” knows that people already “congregate on Bourbon Street for the purpose of disseminating any social, political or religious message”. Hell, that *is* Bourbon Street–one big forum for expression. When I hold my boyfriend’s hand there, that’s expression. As is when some drunk jock shouts “Sigma Chi rules!,” or when someone wears a politically themed Halloween costume. It’s all expression–some popular, some not, but all protected by the First Amendment.
alan h
I live in new orleans and have heard their crap before, they protest all the time. this year they were very offensive and i got into a shouting match with them. funny they want us to repent but when i asked them to tell us where their church is so we could all come they refused. if you check past articles you will find where the preacher who was their leader was arrested for jacking off in a park with children present. personally i like the law, i think it should be amended and require them to post the address of the church they represent.
its not just southern decadence they protest but all holiday events here, even football
one church in the quarter has a sign up, “Jesus didn’t need a bullhorn”
Freddie27
I’m gay and a lawyer and this law is so unconstitutional, it’s a disgrace. The First Amendment protects ALL speech, nice and not nice, offensive and hateful. The over breadth of the law is staggering as well. Believe me, this law is headed for the dustbin when the courts rule on it, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s 2011 precedent Snyder v Phelps. You are not allowed to silence speech you don’t like, just grin and bear it.
FStratford
These religious wingnuts are everywhere in Bourbon Street and doing processions on Bourbon during mardi gras week. They are verbally assaulting people. Yes, they should be prohibited from doing that.
No one goes to Mardi Gras only to be verbally assaulted by these thugs. As for me, I am not going back to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, until the city does something about this.
tdx3fan
@FStratford: They have EVERY right to assemble in public and shout whatever they want on a public street. That is what freedom of speech is. If you do not like what they are saying you have the freedom to ignore them. Its really not that hard. We can respect the right for people to say what they want while not listening to them. We are adults.
Billysees
@alan h: Re 9 “I live in New Orleans and have……
Those previous articles you’re referring to are as follows:
Read this to get a background on the issue —
1. http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/02/man_booked_with_masturbating_a.html
Read these to know the outcome —
2. http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/08/rev_grant_storms_critic_of_sou.html
3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/grant-storms-anti-gay-louisiana-pastor-obscenity_n_1825132.html
I’m wondering why these pastors are up to this kind of thing. What kind of pastors are they? They’re worse than that guy from Kansas and his family.
They wrongly smear religion and Christianity in particular.
Why can’t they see the value of scripture verses like this:
1. Don’t provoke one another.
2. Follow after the things that make for peace.
If they consider the crowd there a bunch of sinners, then why not do this:
3. Don’t stand in the way of sinners.
Many fundamentalists do much harm to the faith. I don’t know why they’re not aware of it.
Their deeds are dumb.
There is a time and a place for everything.
I read once, “when Christians say anything they want to whomever they want, they say it’s their freedom of religion….when they are criticized, they say they’re being persecuted”.
I see a privileged class of people who are whiners who don’t deserve the freedoms they abuse.
Don’t see anything wrong with “freedom from religion” ordinances.
Billysees
@niles: Re 5 “Good riddance !…
Your comment is the simplest and most easy to understand.
Hate abounds when anyone can say whatever they want in your presence.
JetsetTX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjqc29uSw7I&sns=em This is the video I took of the arrests