NEW ORLEANS – The City is now saying there will be repercussions for the organizers of the “Let Us Worship” prayer gathering, that was held in Jackson Square on Saturday.
Andy Rebirth, a pastor for One Accord Ministries, is receiving backlash for being near Jackson Square on Saturday for the “Let Us Worship” gathering, which he calls “a peaceful protest.”
According to the City of New Orleans, the problem is that they didn’t have the permits to host a gathering at that location, and there were hundreds of people not social distancing or wearing masks.
Beau Tidwell, with the City of New Orleans said, “What we saw on Saturday was unacceptable and there will be repercussions.”
“I’m hearing that the City said there were motives. No one knows the motives of another man’s heart. We had no motive than to freely express our religious love for our Father,” Pastor Andy said.
Regarding the lack of mask wearing, “It wasn’t my agenda to say you need to wear a mask, we were worshipping with fellowship and it is kind of hard to worship with a muzzle,” he said.
Pastor Andy went on to say that no one was forcing anyone to be there if they didn’t feel comfortable.
“The First Amendment protects our right to gather, we live in the land of the free, Amen,” he said.
Still, the City says they should’ve followed all the proper guidelines.
“If you’re a musician that isn’t able to work for several months then what you on Saturday hurt. If you’re a business owner that has been doing all the right things, what you saw on Saturday hurt. This is not something we are going to let pass,” Tidwell said.
“We were here because we love the City, we were calling the city to gather, calling for a united city,” Pastor Andy said.
The City has not said yet what the penalties will be, but in the past the Mayor has said that they’d be issuing $500 citations to anyone not wearing masks in public places. When we asked the Pastor about the fine, he said he’d pay it.
Luke Fontana, a local attorney said he would represent anyone issued a citation for gathering in a public place.