The city of Las Vegas is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada over the recent implementation of an “unconstitutional” curfew at the Fremont Street Experience (FSE) downtown.
Following an uptick in crime over the summer months, city officials granted the owners of the FSE a “special event permit” in June, which allowed the attraction to limit admittance to those over the age of 21 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Street performers are also prohibited during those times.
The permit was granted for an event the FSE calls “Festivus,” which runs through the end of November.
In response, the ACLU, which is representing two 18-year-old individuals and a street performer, has alleged that the event is fictitious, and was only announced as a means of securing the permit in order to restrict under-21 patrons. The union says the curfew violates their clients’ rights under the First Amendment.
The lawsuit has been filed in Las Vegas’ federal court.
ACLU representatives told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the curfew “ is just another example of the city’s complicity in treating public property like it belongs to Fremont Street Experience and its casino owners. Fremont Street is a public forum, and it should be open to the public.”
Las Vegas spokesperson Jace Radke told the Review-Journal that the city does not comment on litigation that is pending or ongoing. Representatives from the FSE also declined to comment.
