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Funeral Disruption: Did you know it is a crime? Yup
La. Revised Statute 14:103 (7) (8)
" Whoever commits the crime of intentionally engaging in any act or any utterance, gesture, or display designed to disrupt a funeral, funeral home, viewing, funeral procession, wake, memorial service, or burial of a deceased person or who intentionally blocks, impedes, inhibits, or in any other manner obstructs or interferes with access into or from any building or parking lot of a building in which a funeral, wake, memorial service or burial is being conducted or any burial plot of the cemetery in which a funeral or burial is being conducted is guilty of a misdemeanor.
and shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months or both.
Now that is a a crazy law. Well, maybe not. Everyone has a right to be laid to rest in peace
Have you ever witnessed or heard of a person disrupting a funeral? We see it happen all the time at weddings (or at least in the movies we do), but what about at a funeral?
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You'd have to be one mean person to disrupt a burial, surely?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah! What a terrible thing to do!
ReplyDeleteThere's that crazy minister who disrupts military funerals. He's just nuts.
ReplyDeleteThat is a weird law but who would do such a thing! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and yeah OMA was a RockStar.... :)
Fun posts here, so I don't want to be a downer, but I remember growing up in Ireland there were many funerals disrupted as this side tried to get back at that side.... so confusing and so pointless,,,
A strange law, to be sure. I get very annoyed with people who are so impatient that they would pull into the middle of a funeral procession. I had no idea it was a law - somewhere. Makes me want to look up the law here.
ReplyDeleteWow, I did not know that!! Thank you for the heads up!! I am visiting from the A-Z challenge. Thank you for visiting me! I am a new follower and look forward to visiting again. :D
ReplyDeleteKathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com
I never knew this little tidbit. Glad there is such a law or anyone would disrupt a funeral just so they could get away with it.
ReplyDeleteThat law makes sense!
ReplyDeleteThe westborough baptist people come pretty close
ReplyDeleteYES! I remember two years ago driving in the funeral procession and other drivers cutting in and out of our line almost to the point of spite. They got theirs though when the chaperoning police officer we hired nabbed the dude and ticketed his car big time.
ReplyDeleteActually, yes. When my husband died, his two sons went ballistic because my 2 daughters (who my husband raised since toddlers) wanted to help with the arrangements, saying, The sons kept saying, "it's all about blood, yada, yada.). I had to hire security for the services, but thankfully they cooled their jets.
ReplyDeleteI've not personally witnessed anything like this only seen it on the news. Thanks for stopping by my blog, good luck with the challenge!
ReplyDelete-MJ http://creativelyspiltink.blogspot.com/
I think it is a shame that we have to have such a law...wouldn't you think people could just be respectful.....
ReplyDeleteI've never witnessed a funeral disruption. Only once, though, at the funeral of a friend's husband, his son displayed a deliberately disrespectful behaviour; but I wouldn't call that disruption.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know it was actually a crime!
Interesting that there is a law about disrupting funerals, but I suppose in some cases it is needed. I've never witnessed a funeral disruption, but I've heard of it happening. How about those people who interrupt military funerals. Heard about it on the news.
ReplyDeleteRemind me not to go parading around a cemetery when I've drank too much. :)
ReplyDeleteI've done lots of funerals without any significant disruptions. None of the deceased tried to get out of their caskets, or things like that. Only late-arriving mourners, and they got fitted in appropriately. A crime, you say? Only in Louisiana? Fancy that.
ReplyDeleteDo $100 fines typically go hand in hand with 6 month potential sentences? To my way of thinking 6 months is worth a whole lot more than $100. Is this an old law?
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I think your next work of fiction should feature a funeral disruption scene. A really catastrophic one. Fabulous.
A-Z @ Elizabeth
Twist
I hate to suggest some naivete on your part, but when the son of a friend of mine was killed in Afghanistan some years ago, the "God hates fags" people threatened to protest the funeral, since they like to do that at any military funeral. These funeral protests have been part of the national conversation for years.
ReplyDeleteI can see that, but the $100 or 6 months in jail? That seems a little skewed :) Happy Easter to you too! Thanks for the follow at Falling for Fiction!
ReplyDeleteI had heard of the wedding this, but for a funeral? That is just horrible! And sad:(
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me like 6 months in jail is disproportionate to $100 fine, but if I had to decide, I'd probably be in favor the law. Some people will do crazy things.
ReplyDeleteThe Golden Eagle
The Eagle's Aerial Perspective
I agree. I guess you just never think of needing a law like this.
ReplyDeleteI know. It's crazy, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWell, no one ever gets the maximum sentence on a misdemeanor. I imagine the most someone would receive would be a fine.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies. I did not intend any disrespect to our soldiers, I have the utmost respect and admiration for people who serve and fight for our country.
ReplyDeleteI am an attorney and my theme is "Random, odd or otherwise normal & common laws and crimes in Louisiana." Since I was a prosecutor for twenty years before switching to criminal defense and I had never once heard of anyone committing this offense, I thought it would make a good topic for the letter. I selected, "Bear Wrestling" for the letter B.
I hope you are not offended.
Thanks for the idea about writing a catastrophic funeral disruption scene in my next novel. I love the idea.
ReplyDeleteWhen I post possible sentence ranges, I quote them directly from the Code of Criminal Procedures. For just about every crime, whether a felony or misdemeanor, there is a minimum (and sometimes a mandatory minimum-meaning the judge cannot depart downward) and a maximum for the amount of incarceration and for the fine. for misdemeanors, especially first offenses, the judge normally imposes a fine.
If the sentence says a "term or imprisonment up___ to or a fine of _____" then the judge can impose either or and he can probate or suspend all or none of it unless it also states, "without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence."
In misdemeanors such as this, the judge will order as a sentence something like this:
"I hereby sentence you to six months in the parish jail with all but one day suspended and a fine of $100.00." This means that the person does not have to serve any time because it has been suspended, but if the person fails to pay the fine the judge can then order him to serve the jail sentence. He could not do anything to him if he only ordered the fine because he would not have any "suspended" time to impose for failure to pay.
I hope that made sense
You didn't offend me at all. I was just surprised you hadn't heard of this.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being a new follower on my blog.
Louisiana is a strange place. Did you read my post for the letter C? Louisiana is the only state that does not follow Common law; we have the Napoleonic code.
ReplyDeleteI know Cassie Mae, that is when I get in the most trouble at funerals. ha.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good idea
ReplyDeleteIt totally makes sense. Thanks for explaining that! I couldn't understand how a $100 fine was equivalent to 6 months, but it makes a lot of sense in terms of enforcing payment of the fine.
ReplyDelete