Seventeen clubs that sponsor New Orleans' signature second-line parades filed suit in federal court Thursday to force the city to abandon what they call excessive, selectively enforced police escort charges imposed after violence broke out at two of the street processions early this year.
The case, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the clubs and several of their members, seeks to dismantle a parade permitting system it claims gives the police superintendent unconstitutional discretion to set the escort fees the clubs must pay as a condition of getting a parade permit.
We mentioned this problem a few weeks ago when linking to this Katy Reckdahl piece in Offbeat. We need to save our cultural institutions from the stormtroopers before New Orleans becomes as soulless as.. Cincinnati. Can't help but wonder if the coming crackdown on "public drunkeness" will be another excuse to go after second-liners.
Update: More on the "crackdown" from Ashley
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