Shreveport/Bossier Mardi Gras - Don't Break the Law!
North Louisiana Mardi Gras has started! January saw the Krewes of Sobek and Harambe parades, and February brings with it an abundance of additional parades and experiences for those so inclined. Shreveport’s Other Side has published a useful guide to all the Shreveport/Bossier festivities.
We’d like to cover some basic legal ground rules to ensure you and your family and friends have a safe and arrest-free Mardi Gras:
Many roads will be closed on parade days. Driving down a closed road or around a police barricade is a crime under state law. La. R.S. 32:237 prohibits the tampering with, moving, or disobeying the instructions of any barricade or sign or signal placed upon any highway (note: highways means basically anything not a private drive, parking lot, or private road).
Many neighborhood roads, particularly in Broadmoor and Highland will have signs posted prohibiting parking on one side of the street on parade days. This prohibition is to ensure, as much as possible, the free flow of traffic on parade days. It is a crime to disobey signs regulating parking under La. R.S. 32:144.
The Shreveport City Code gets in on the act and prohibits the obstruction of public passages, or standing and walking in roadways. Be mindful of where you stand and walk when leaving parade locations. Shreveport City Ordinance 50-140.
It is a violation of the Shreveport City Code to be drunk in public, use profane language, urinate or defecate in public places, and spit. Shreveport City Ordinance 50-155 - 157. In general, be mindful of your behavior and don’t be a nuisance.
And finally, be aware that being drunk in public is also a crime, and so is disobeying law enforcement. Flight from an Officer, Resisting an Officer, and Interference with an Officer are very common arrests during Mardi Gras season.
Enjoy yourselves at the Parades, but be careful, and if you or a family member need help after a parade, gives us a call at (318) 459-9111.