Written by Don Byrd
Via Religion Clause, a federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the City of New Orleans from enforcing its “Aggressive Solicitation” law. Among other things, the law says:
It shall be prohibited for 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.
Several evangelists were arrested earlier this month during a gay culture celebration. The ordinance is being challenged by the ACLU on behalf of a member of a ministry team. If nighttime evangelism is essential to one’s ministry, how could this ordinance pass constitutional scrutiny?
