Despite New Orleans police urging people not to attend, a Christian rally was held Thursday night, New Year s Eve, around Jackson Square. Avondale pastor Andy Rebirth Pellerano, of One Accord Ministries, blamed the city for the big crowds and said his group of 60 to 70 people complied when police asked them to don masks.
Courtesy One Accord Ministries
The New Orleans Police Department on Wednesday urged people not to attend a gathering that a local church pastor is helping plan for New Yearâs Eve at Jackson Square, saying the event does not have a permit and would violate city coronavirus restrictions.
In a message published on their Twitter account, NOPD officials alluded to current rules capping outdoor crowds at 150 people, along with requirements for face masks and social distancing to limit the spread of the contagion. The agency said officers would âensure this illegal event does not take placeâ but didnât elaborate on what measures they would deploy.
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 na