No Mardi Gras Parade for St. Martinville

The story of the 2016 Newcomer’s Mardi Gras parade began with a drone video of the 2015 parade crowd commissioned by the Sheriff’s Office. It ended by way of the unforeseen result of a successful challenge by the Newcomers in a Federal Court in Lafayette on Monday.
A quiet special meeting of the city council on Friday, Jan. 29 had cleared the way for City Attorney Allan Durand to make certain stipulations and admissions in the hearing. One of those stipulations was at the heart of the Newcomers case. Durand admitted, on the city’s behalf, that the ordinance concerning the permitting of “parades, rallies and marches” was too vaguely written.
The court agreed, ruling that the ordinance failed to adequately lay out clear and consistent standards for issuing or denying permits – a ruling that made the permit issued to the Newcomers in November invalid. An enforceable permit cannot be issued under an unconstitutional ordinance.
It is not clear what effect a different ruling would have had on the 2016 parade, though, because Judge Rebecca F. Doherty declined to address the role of the St. Martin Sheriff’s Office in the matter, saying it was a contract between the parties and not a matter for federal court.
The sheriff’s office had required that security recommendations contained in an outside security report be met. These standards could not be met by parade time. Without sheriff’s office personnel, Mayor Thomas Nelson said, the city could only guarantee 19 officers.
That security report, produced by University of Louisiana at Lafayette Police Chief Joey Sturm at the request of St. Martinville Police Chief Calder Hebert, concluded that 213 officers were needed to police the event. Sturm’s analysis also included the opinion that more than 2300 barricades were needed along the 1.75 miles of the parade route, another impossible requirement in the short term.
Strong objections were voiced by residents attending the meeting. Most centered on the late timing of the city and Sheriff’s Office actions. Steps could have been taken, many said, to address objections if the intentions of officials had been made known earlier. Some said that city officials have had it in for the parade for years.
The Mardi Gras parade has been referred to as a 55-year St. Martinville tradition. Some in the crowd pointed that it is actually much older than that, existing long before the Newcomer’s Club became involved. However old it is, it has become a signature event in town, drawing a mostly-black audience approaching 20,000 in recent years.
Supporters of the parade object to the conclusion that such strict control and law enforcement presence is needed. They cite the fact that, as large as it has become, the half-day event has not resulted in excessive law-breaking or injuries. The parade, they say, has become an important part of St. Martinville’s cultural life and history, that should be encouraged and facilitated, not targeted.
On the other side, opponents say that litter has been a problem, parking and trespassing have been impossible to control, and lack of emergency vehicle access presents unacceptable risks. They say the costs to the city are too high, especially after the Sheriff’s Office announced in December that it would end it’s partial funding of security costs.
Attorney Durand said that a new, properly drawn parade ordinance would be prepared by the next council meeting. Among city officials, there was a general tone of optimism that by the time of Mardi Gras 2017, a valid ordinance would be in place and changes would be made to address objections and satisfy financial and safety concerns.