Drider_it

http://ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=3267767

The smoking ban approved by the Shreveport City Council Tuesday extends to areas that received little attention during debate leading up the vote -- certain outdoor areas including Festival Plaza, Independence Stadium, golf courses, and city parks. The ban also includes public buildings and restaurants where alcohol is not sold. The ban does -not- include casinos.

City Council Chairman Mike Gibson offered an amendment to -exclude- Festival Plaza from the ban. However, the amendment was defeated. "It's gonna be awful," Gibson said when asked about Shreveport police trying to enforce the no-smoking policy, particularly during events at Festival Plaza that attract tens of thousands of people. "The fact is, we don't have enough police officers as it is," Gibson said. "We're asking them to not only protect life and property, but now also look for people lighting up," Gibson said.

Gibson said the ban at Festival Plaza would be in effect at all times, even during events where alcohol is sold. The fact that vendors sell alcohol during certain events there would not eliminate the ban since vendors do not technically have liquor licenses for that particular facility, Gibson said. The ban also applies to golf courses and Independence Stadium. The stadium is not enclosed. "My logic is, if it's outdoors, that really doesn't make much sense (to ban smoking)," Gibson said.

According to the ordinance, the ban includes all enclosed areas within public places, public restrooms, retail stores (other than retail tobacco stores), libraries, museums, galleries, sports arenas, health care facilities, and "city playgrounds and parks." The ban also prohibits smoking "within twenty-five feet of the entrance or exit to any public building or public facility occupied or operated by the city or any of its agencies."

The city council passed the smoking ban by a vote of 5-2. The ban takes effect ten days after being signed by the mayor. Shreveport Mayor Keith Hightower said he has no plans to veto it. "It is my understanding, as soon as it hits his desk, he will sign it," said city spokeswoman Liz Swaine. Violators face a fine of up to $500 dollars or 60 days in jail.


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now with the rest.. every public building in the shreveport area is a now smoke free in 10 days.. you have to be 25 feet from any public building to smoke.

sure im ok with this but they are not seeing about making it so you cant in your damn car. wtf.. I pull into say burger king and get a 500 dollar ticket cuz im smoking in my fuckin car? sigh. Is it ok to shoot the damn activists? sorry but here is my point and its a story

in cadillac michigan they passed no smoking in thier hostpital there and on thier properity. granted this is a medical facility but they had thier security going around telling visitor and employees that you cant smoke in your car either and had local police passing tickets out left and right until..

i walked in with 10 others and stated my case.. before thier lame ass board of directors..

i stated that sure smoking is bad .. and it smells to those that arent smokers but i want this passed too. anyone visitor or employee that comes in to this facility wearing a ton of perfume etc.. should be asked to leave. you will have more people have a reaction to the scent of said perfumes and such than the left over smell of smokers.

getting in to the elevator you are overwhelmed with people wearing too much of the stuff. My mother cant be in the same room with a person that junks that crap on.

i had refrences to allergies and such and a study .. and they asked what to do.. i said a car is a person private properity.. the license states this by saying private. the only thing touching your properity is the wheels. in this case you have no legal right to demand anyone to stop what they are doing on thier time in thier car unless its against city laws. and smoking isnt a controlled substance.

welp instead of makeing a big "stink" of it they gave in and allowed us to smoke in the cars. heh. woot i win

now i do concrete for a living. setting forms finishing a slab or such we pour. most the time this is around "public" buildings. in 10 days ill have to carry my tap measure around and mark a spot or actually drive. "boss dont let us smoke in the company truck.. which im cool with that"

man this blows but i understand it .. but they shouldnt try to pass a damn law saying i cant smoke in my car.

now granted they only public buildings that you can smoke in and around is those that sell tabacco or alcohol.

but the park is gonna be really annoying.. the ordiance stated that its buildings .. how is a park a building.. you just gotta love admendments.

and like the festivals if peps cant smoke heh they wont go. live it up shreveport you got your ban but its gonna cost ya here shortly with the summer coming.

*note* the big mudbug celebration they have there.. *crawlfish* boils and such is gonna be bad with drunks getting tickets for smokeing haha ill be there with my camcorder to make sure i have footage of it all.

__________________
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jaco

I really see no difference in the amount of police time and effort than say, seatbelt laws. Thats a whole different issue but similar in waste of tax money. As far as i understood it i thought a vehicle was private property and whatever you did within it while parked as long as noone could see it, didn't matter. But then again this is the most ass-backwards state of them all when it comes to law. As to the perfume idea, I am all for it, ban those stinky bastards. Just because they think that the "fragrance" will cover up thier horrid body odor, doesn't mean that I should suffer twice as much.

If they ban smoking at those festivals, well... everyone will just stay in thier backyards for their own damn boils and not have to pay 2 bucks a pound of crawfish and $5 a beer. When the money for their kickbacks dries up louisiana politicians will sing a different tune.

*note* its "crawfish" dammit, say it like you eat'em! I also do concrete work in New Orleans, ain't it grand?

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"How soft your fields so green, Can whisper tales of gore"
"Thou art god"

raveneye

I really doubt that a smoking ban in open outdoor areas like public parks is ever going to be enforced.

Here in Miami there's a ban in restaurants, and even that law is not enforced anymore (after 2 years), in many places that are essentially clubs or taverns that also serve food as a major part of their business. I was working at a place last weekend where customers were eating full meals, and one table of five businessmen were all smoking cigars.

If there were a ban in open outdoor places in Miami it would be a big joke. Smokers would ignore it and so would police, who are already too busy not enforcing traffic laws . . . .

Derwood

Easy solution: Don't Smoke. Solved!

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