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Street Evangelists Arrested in New Orleans for Preaching After Dark

A New Orleans pastor and his five-member team were arrested on Bourbon Street last week for preaching after sunset, reported a story in Christian News. The team, led by Troy Bohn of RAVEN Ministries, was taken into custody after police cited an “ordinance against aggressive solicitation.” Bohn became concerned when one of the officers, a sergeant, gave the order to “find out what church they were with because we are going to start going after these churches.” When Bohn reached the precinct, he confronted the officer about his comments, who responded that he was just following orders.

According to the article, the section of the ordinance that Bohn and his team are being charged with violating states, “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.” Penalties for violations of this ordinance include a $500 fine and a maximum of six months imprisonment.

The month before, a group of nine men not affiliated with Bohn’s ministry were also arrested for evangelizing on Bourbon Street after sundown. They had been preaching during the Southern Decadence Festival, an event marked by public drunkenness and open sex acts.

“I know it won’t end on Bourbon Street,” Bohn stated. “It’ll go to your street. It’ll go to my street.”