NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The Louisiana branch of the ACLU has filed suit to preserve the New Orleans traditions of "second-line" dance processions and jazz funerals.
The ACLU says both are in jeopardy of disappearing due to excessive fees and changes in permit rules for organizations that stage parades, The Los Angeles Times reports.
The city of New Orleans raised fees to a base of around $1,200 following the shooting death of one person and the wounding of several others during parades this year. In addition to the parade fee, the state of Louisiana requires groups to post a bond of $10,000.
The ACLU suit says the new policies are a curtailment of freedom of speech and expression.
"If we do not get relief from the court, then this tradition will be taxed out of existence," Joe Cook, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, told the Times.
The suit was filed on behalf of the Social Aid and Pleasure Club Task Force comprising 21 groups and other plaintiffs.
