Nine men were arrested Saturday after yelling anti-gay slurs over bullhorns as they demonstrated at Southern Decadence in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The Times-Picayune reported that “street-preachers” 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.” Another man, Justin Craft, 31, was arrested for assaulting a police officer as the officer attempted to confiscate his bullhorn.
Frank Robertson, a New Orleans police spokesman, said the men were previously warned not to use bullhorns, but did not comply. Casey Kolosky, a bouncer at a local club said the preachers were making slurs against gays and also mentioned Hurricane Katrina victims.
Southern Decadence started forty-one years ago as a simple going-away party. As a top gay Labor Day weekend destination, it has evolved into one of the world’s major gay annual events. One of the largest annual celebrations and festivals in New Orleans, it has become known as the “Gay Mardi Gras.”
As much as I like this- I think I like free speech more… conflicted!