LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Downtown Las Vegas street performer is asking for transparency after a run-in with security.
Clive Hayward has practiced magic since he was eight years old. He’s performed at the Fremont Street Experience for nearly a decade.
In October, Hayward said he had a run-in with security and Las Vegas City Marshalls, who told him he wasn’t allowed to use his dolly in his street performer circle.
Hayward said the street performer circles themselves are part of the problem, with their positioning right under loudspeakers and a lack of transparency regarding what performers can and can’t bring into them.
“They didn’t read the law,” Hayward said. “They would refuse to look up the law, show me where I was breaking it because I wasn’t breaking the law.”
The law Hayward cited contains a few rules for street performers. For example, they can’t place objects on the ground unless they’re within two feet, don’t block traffic, and are integral to performing. Hayward was cited for violating that rule, but he challenged that violation in court. Prosecutors withdrew from the hearing on Thursday, but Hayward believes he still has to be cautious.
“They still have the option to refile the charges up to one year after the incident, which is not comfortable,” Hayward said.
Hayward said he spent more money on court-related expenses than he would have if he had just paid the original $208 fine. Coming from Seattle, Hayward said he had to spend over $1,000 to travel to Las Vegas for his court hearing.
Hayward expressed a desire for further transparency about what’s allowed to avoid similar situations in the future. He said he’s seen other issues at the Fremont Street Experience, such as people selling spots in performer circles with a lack of enforcement.
Other performers said they share the same sentiment, adding they don’t feel that security is there to help them. Officials for the Fremont Street Experience were contacted for comment which will be added to this article upon receipt.
