\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i60.tinypic.com\/2sblmvc.jpg\")
\n\t\u201cLas Vegas Gold Statue\u201d Steve McDonald stands behind a sign at Fremont Street Experience on Sunday, July 27, 2014, in downtown Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\t\u201cLas Vegas Gold Statue\u201d Steve McDonald stands behind a sign at Fremont Street Experience on Sunday, July 27, 2014, in downtown Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
\tBy Joe Schoenmann
\n\tFriday, Aug. 29, 2014 | 2 a.m.<\/p>\n
\tOn a recent summer night along Fremont Street Experience, one SpongeBob Squarepants, two Spidermans and three guys in jockstraps walked the street.<\/p>\n
\n\tThere was also a man in an odd costume that included an overcoat, a fake machete and a mask that looked like a rag with holes cut for eyes. He sprinted after two women who ran away screaming.<\/p>\n
\tThen there were Jerad and Amanda Miller, the husband-and-wife duo who in June shot and killed two Metro officers and a civilian. The Millers had once rented costumes to collect donations on Fremont Street.<\/p>\n
\tBuskers and Panhandlers
\n\tTourists from Riverside, Calif. watch a performance by contortionist Kelvin Gordon at the Fremont Street Experience Sunday, July 27, 2014. STEVE MARCUS Launch slideshow \u00bb
\n\tWith complaints stacking up about Fremont Street performers, the city of Las Vegas is considering new rules to make tourists feel comfortable. From Madrid to New York City to St. Louis, government leaders, entertainers and civil liberties groups are debating whether cities need new rules to regulate street performers and protect pedestrians.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe\u2019ve gotten a lot of feedback, as well, from buskers who follow the rules that it\u2019s becoming a serious issue to the point that some people were actually frightened," said Metro\u2019s downtown area Capt. Shawn Anderson.<\/p>\n
\tIn Las Vegas, the debate comes amid a wave of new city rules over public drinking and drunkenness on Fremont Street, a pedestrian-only walkway in a canyon of casinos and hotels.<\/p>\n
\tCity licensing staffers are seeking advice from performers, casino operators and consultants on how to craft a legally sound ordinance that regulates street performers but preserves Fremont Street\u2019s character \u2014 and its characters. Any new rules are still months away.<\/p>\n
\tAfter the recession, the number of costumed characters on Fremont Street and the Las Vegas Strip grew rapidly. Unable to find work, the unemployed donned superhero garb, slipped on rock star wigs or painted themselves gold to entice dollars from tourists.<\/p>\n
\tThe American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada has previously sued the city over free speech issues at the Fremont Street Experience.<\/p>\n
\tIn a June interview, Tod Story, the ACLU’s executive director, acknowledged the Fremont Street Experience has become "a bit overwhelming."<\/p>\n
\tBut he also cautioned any restrictions have to be carefully constructed.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe blanket ban (on protected free speech) was what we were fighting before,\u201d Story said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just ban people you don\u2019t like from going into a public space.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tStory added: \u201cThey have a right to be there, to associate and to speak or, in this case, perform."<\/p>\n
\tLas Vegas isn\u2019t the only city finding colorful but unregulated characters populating its streets. Other cities are starting to notice problems and they’re drafting new rules.<\/p>\n
\tNew York City Council members have drafted bills to require licensing and background checks of street performers after a spate of aggressive interactions between police and performers.<\/p>\n
\tSeasoned performers in Las Vegas say they welcome some kind of licensing or registration, as long as it isn\u2019t too expensive.<\/p>\n
\tMichael Duran, who played Strip characters for years, said the new rules would reduce the number of entertainers and make it easier to make a living. It also would help keep out panhandlers masquerading as performers.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cYou watch these bums get out of hand, grab parents, grab kids,\u201d said Duran, who often plays Superman. \u201cIf you want to be out here, we need to know who is under your mask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tGuitarist Kenny Payne, who plays a string of classics from The Eagles and Jimi Hendrix, said he wouldn’t mind a registration and a small fee. But he also hopes Fremont Street doesn’t lose its characters in the process.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThis is Vegas,\u201d Payne said, looking down Fremont Street. \u201cPeople who want to get away from the rigmarole of their city or town, that\u2019s why they come here and get loose. All of this is just a part of Las Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Posted by:<\/strong> Dr Crapology on August 31, 2014, 11:01 pm<\/p>\n \tdoc<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Posted by:<\/strong> OneMoonCircles on September 1, 2014, 6:31 pm<\/p>\n \tI am hoping all casinos become smoke free. That is how it is in Colorado and makes it possible for me to play.<\/p>\n \tSee you again in October!<\/p>\n \tOneMoonCircles<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cLas Vegas Gold Statue\u201d Steve McDonald stands behind a sign at Fremont Street Experience on Sunday, July 27, 2014, in downtown Las Vegas. By Joe Schoenmann Friday, Aug. 29, 2014 | 2 a.m. On a recent summer night along Fremont…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-casino-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7941\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Headed Downtown after the class in June—it was around 11:00 Am. Frankly it was scary. A lot of pan handlers. One young lady was virtually without clothing holding a couple of fans in necessary locations. We were hoping to take the grand kids (age 13 and 11) to Vegas and part of the trip was to let the kids see the Fremont Experience==the "mall" with the little shops in said mall, ride the zip line, etc. Of course Rose said no and I must agree. Hope they will clean it up so any one of any age can feel safe there.<\/p>\n\nWe stayed downtown during the June class. It was a bit alarming and there is too much near nudity for kids. However, there are some fun attractions and great music like Bridge. (This is 2 guys playing electric cellos.) Other music was not to my taste except for some individuals performing.<\/p>\n