The Soapbox

Rain on the Parade

GMDuggan

Funeral parades in New Orleans' Treme district have a long standing tradition of over a hundred years, but has recently come under attack in post-Katrina NOLA policy. The funeral parades are both unplanned, spontaneous, accepted activity for the remembrance and grieving of the passing of a local notable within that community and more planned events by the Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs [link3]. However, modern NOLA policy is to insist on permits and police security fees for all parades, to the point of threatening the continuance of the local culture. New Orleans, if you don't know, is famous for its numerous parades at Mardi Gras and throughout the year and spontaneous parades are included.

Now the need for planning, and therefore permitting, for the large parades with multiple floats and large crowds of spectators makes sense. Anytime a major throughfare is to be blocked off and traffic impeded for hours at a time, special efforts and expenditures are to be expected. Should the same hurdles apply to small spontaneous parades? A spontaneous parade is not spontaneous if you have to obtain permits, pay fees, and schedule police escort, all of which detracts from and prohibits the culture norms of the parade and leads to the demise of the culture. Not to mention allowing any new culture to form. Maybe a few rules need to be defined and implemented to regulate and allow parades that will not detract from or degrade the cultural norms of the communities. Some guidelines to follow would be:

1. Use the traditional neighborhoods of the city to implement "Parade Zones" where the local community can have a say as to when and how parades can be organized and performed. Make these rules a part of the zoning laws of the neighborhood.

2. Designate the roads in the community into a tiered system defining whether or not a parade of which size would be allowed and what permits and support would be necessary for a parade on that Parade Route Classification. (Please see the proposed ordinance at the end of this article)

3. Create a volunteer community organization or allow the social clubs or even the Boy Scouts to relieve the police of traffic duties for the minor parades.

And now, let us look at why this proposal would be necessary in the first place.

Most cities and towns in the United States have some sort of ordinance prohibiting parades unless permitted. Yes, any large group of, well, anything moving slowly on a roadway could cause traffic congestion. As a matter of fact a single object in a roadway could cause traffic congestion. There already is a traffic infraction to cover this, Blocking Traffic. So there is really not a need for a separate law just for parades. But, oh yeah, parades move with traffic, or at least in city streets, move not much different than traffic and parades have existed far longer than the automobile. Is it a speed issue, or something else?

If it is speed, then the problem is automobile traffic. America's affair with the personal transportation device strikes again! The personal vehicle has managed to degrade and prohibit the continuance of existing and the rise of new, similar culture by turning our streets into rivers of fast moving, therefore dangerous, metal. Also these vehicles require mass amounts of space for parking. This has led to zoning codes setting buildings far back from the street, eliminating the intimate character of urban streets which would give rise to parades and street performance, i.e. forms of culture. Older cities, such as New Orleans, have retained the pre-automobile intimate streets, such that, except on the artery roads, there should be little or no problem with a parade moving along in the appropriate traffic lane. So, could there be other reasons to prohibit parades?

Welcome to America! Land of the free! Home to a government guided by a constitution that includes a Bill of Rights for the people, which states in the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Now as far as I can tell, a parade is a Peaceable Assembly by the people to express happiness, sadness, mark a cultural calendar event, or maybe even make a political statement. Laws prohibiting parades are actually unconstitutional in that the law abridges both the right of freedom of speech and peaceable assembly, or at least blanket laws that apply to all streets. Requiring a permit says both, the people cannot spontaneously assemble, and that the people can be denied assembly. Is this what is happening in relation to parades?

In the case of New Orleans' Treme neighborhood the population with the cultural tradition is black and reputedly poor, the area has a long standing crime problem, and coupled with increased property values due to the fact that the Treme neighborhood did not flood during Katrina. The City and Law Enforcement have both been insisting on higher security fees for the parades in that area due to alleged higher crime during the parades. Further, the instance that brings up this question at all is the treatment of a, granted, non-permitted funeral procession of all pedestrians nature. One complaint of disturbing the peace (and who called that in, in the middle of the day?) brought, reportedly, twenty squad cars and rough treatment and arrests of the spokesmen for the parade. Strange actions in a city noted for its parades and for an acceptable behavior two years previously. Even if the parade was pre-planned and permitted, there is a disparity of fees between Mardi Gras Parades and Second Line parades, The Larger Mardi Gras Krewes are charged only $750, the fee set by law, for police security as opposed to the $1,200 to $7,560 charged to the Original Pigeontown Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club during the last couple of years. All of which points to prejudice and an attempt at culture-cide to break up the community all the more. To what end? Just to change the population to one that might pay more taxes? One that is more controllable?

It is sad that modern America cannot seem to abide the different cultures that make up the melting pot. Both by laws and the nature of our new developments the impetuous and opportunity to gather as a community and create artistic expressions of ourselves are disappearing. More and more the populace is being driven into their solitary homes with the onus upon them to stay quiet even within those walls.

One is less likely to learn to play music if one cannot practice without complaint, and without the opportunity to perform once practiced. New Orleans has been a bastion of music and cultural expression. I am a little bit jealous of the opportunities that a marching band has to perform there, numerous parades all year as opposed to maybe a Christmas parade around where I grew up. New Orleans Is the only city in America that I know of that allows music and other performances on their streets with minimal barriers. I would much rather see other American cities take a few cues from New Orleans than New Orleans stifle culture as other cities do.

A parade is a community event. A parade is an event that gets a group of people to work in unison. Parades can be used to bring more people out and create a stronger sense of community. With that in mind, should not we be encouraging parades rather than regulating parades into being uncommon events or to extinction?

The proposal for parade management in this article does not have to apply to New Orleans only. What would be wrong with organizing a parade within your subdivision? Get the kids out doing something together. Invite the neighbors out for a moment of frivolity. There should be no impediment to a small neighborhood parade. How about while creating a park or park system, your community sets aside a parade route within or between parks where parading would be welcome and safe.

Schools typically teach music in the form of orchestra and marching bands. Give these bands more opportunity to perform. Give yourself the opportunity to do something fun, a bit more unusual. At least give yourself the opportunity to stop and watch a parade.

A Proposal for A Parade Zone Ordinance

Purpose:

Whereas it is the duty of every municipality to provide for the welfare and well being of its citizenry,

Whereas it is the duty of every municipality to foster an environment for its citizenry in which their happiness, freedoms, and traditions can be enjoyed and grow,

The following ordinance pertaining to mobile gatherings of citizens, known as parades, is adopted.

I. Categorization of Floats

ML	(Motorized Large)	-	A self propelled or towed platform 96"w x 144"l or larger. Float length includes the towing vehicle
NML	(Non-Motorized Large)	-	A towed platform 96"w x 144"l or larger with the locomotion supplied by humans or animals. Float length includes the locomotive train.
MM	(Motorized Medium)	-	A self propelled or towed platform up to 96"w x 144"l . Float length includes the towing vehicle
NMM	(Non-Motorized Medium)	-	A towed platform larger than 48"w x 96"l up to 96"w x 144"l with the locomotion supplied by humans or animals. Float length includes the locomotive train.
S	(Small)	-	A towed or pushed platform up to 48"w x 96"l in size with the locomotion supplied by humans or animals. Float length includes the locomotive train.

II. Classification of Parade Types

Class 1	-	A parade that includes motorized vehicles and or floats of any classification with an at rest parade length of over 600'.
Class 2	-	A parade that includes NMM, & S class floats with an at rest parade length of over 600'.
Class 3	-	A parade that includes motorized vehicles and or floats with an at rest parade length of up to 600' and takes up no more than one traffic lane on a two way road
Class 4	-	A parade that includes NMM, & S class floats with an at rest parade length of up to 600' and takes up no more than one traffic lane on a two way road.
Class 5	-	A parade of any length consisting of only pedestrians behaving in a manner that is consistent with a peaceful assembly. The playing of musical instruments, whether singly or as a band, is not inconsistent of a peaceful assembly.

III. Classification and Designation of Roads for Parade Routes

PX	-	Interstate Highways, Limited access roads, toll roads; No parades allowed under any circumstances.
P1	-	Major arterial roads: All parades must be permitted with approved traffic control.
P2	-	Secondary road thoroughfares: All parades must be permitted. Parade Classes 1 & 2 must obtain approved traffic control. Class 3 parades must obey traffic signals, and provide a minimum of a lead and tail vehicle with flashing amber warning lights and at least two passengers each vehicle for traffic direction equipped with orange flags and whistles.
P3	-	Roads of non-thoroughfare nature whether residential or commercial. Parade Classes 1 & 2 must obtain Permits and approved traffic control. Class 3 parades must obey traffic signals, and provide a minimum of a lead and tail vehicle with flashing amber warning lights and two passengers for traffic direction equipped with orange flags and whistles. Class 4 parades must obey traffic signals, and provide for 2 persons for traffic direction equipped with orange flags and whistles per 100' of parade.
PRX	-	Residential roads designated "No Parades" by resident vote.

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