Cartwright said the workers told them they aren't allowed to use chalk on the sidewalks and walls.
City spokesman Tom Manheim said officials "don't want any chalking anywhere ... But we're much more concerned about chalking the wall than the sidewalk."
Manheim said chalk drawings would be considered defacing public property.
"If you make a decision based on the cuteness of their message," Manheim said, "then we can't say no to the neo-Nazis who want to put their swastikas up."
Cartwright said the protesters don't understand the issue.
"It's so ridiculous that now we have Chalkgate when we have a rising homicide rate and an increase in gang violence here," Cartwright said. "But instead, the city is focusing on stifling little kids expressing their creativity with chalk."
