The New Orleans Police Department is asking citizens to please refrain from attending an unofficial Christian "gathering" in Jackson Square tonight. The New Year's Eve event is being organized by a local pastor, and on their official Twitter account, NOPD says officers would “ensure this illegal event does not take place”, but are not saying how they plan to enforce it.
This comes on the heels of the huge controversy over another unsanctioned Christian rally that took place at Jackson Square earlier this month. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was prompted to contact Dick Clark Productions after Christian superstar (and Lafayette native) Lauren Daigle supposedly performed at the worship concert in the French Quarter when the entire city was on lockdown. Cantrell wanted to make sure that the live broadcast from New Orleans on New Year's Eve did not include Daigle, and she got her wish. New Orleans bounce legend Big Freedia and PJ Morton will now represent Louisiana on the nationwide broadcast of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021."