Louisville is not enforcing its decades-old mask ban on people exercising their First Amendment right to protest, says Mayor Craig Greenberg.
Greenberg’s comments on how the city is choosing to enforce a ban on people concealing their identity in public came after the white nationalist group Patriot Front marched through downtown on July 5. Videos recorded by witnesses spread quickly on social media, showing dozens of people in navy tops and khaki pants waving American and Confederate flags.
All the people in the Patriot Front protest wore hats and face coverings, which prompted some residents to ask why Louisville Metro did not cite or arrest them for violating the city’s 1983 mask ban ordinance. Greenberg said last October that the city would begin enforcing the ordinance again after people wearing surgical masks shot two teenagers at a high school football game.
On Monday morning, however, Greenberg told LPM News that the city has not been using the law against protesters. A violation would be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100, imprisonment for up to 50 days or both.
“We have not been enforcing the mask ban ordinance on people that are exerting their First Amendment right, whether it’s this hateful, disgusting group or other groups that are wearing masks as well,” the mayor said. “We may revisit that, but for right now we haven’t done that.”
Greenberg noted that Metro Council rejected his proposal to update the ordinance last year, after residents and disability rights groups raised concerns. His proposed amendments included carve-outs for religious and health reasons, but did not provide an exemption for First Amendment protests.
Read the rest at Louisville Public Media.
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