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Will You Miss Bourbon Street's Barkers When They're Gone?

October 24, 2009 at 2:51 PM | by | Comments (0)

Barkers are a fixture in just about every nightlife district in the world, pacing the sidewalks in front of bars, restaurants, and strip clubs in an attempt to bring in customers. Usually they're harmless, but the more aggressive touts can be downright obnoxious, putting their arms around pedestrians and doing everything in their power short of kidnapping to get them into their establishments. Some officials in New Orleans believe that their fair city has far too many aggressive barkers, and they're looking to get rid of them. As the AP points out, an ordinance was passed 25 years ago that explicitly outlaws barkers, but it has been only rarely enforced until today.

In what may be the beginning of a crackdown, a bar called the Alpine Bistro was recently fined $500 and threatened with the loss of their liquor license if their aggressive touts continued to harass tourists. Other businesses are likely to face the alcoholic beverage board this fall.

It's a shame that it has come to this, because curbing barkers does sort of feel like a violation of free speech. But I'll admit to being plenty annoyed by barkers in places like Miami Beach, where they try to slap a colored wristband on your wrist for free admission to their crappy clubs. I'll shed no tears if those twerps are muzzled.

[Photo: ign.com]

Related Stories:
· Bourbon Street May Lose Its Bark [AP via msnbc.com]
· Bourbon Street Coverage [Jaunted]

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