When community activist and Instagram personality Byron Cole took to the podium at a New Orleans City Council meeting Thursday, his comments on a Bourbon Street townhome renovation were cut short by New Orleans police who informed him that he was banned.

The reason, they said, was a pending court case involving his arrest outside the Perdido Street building more than a year ago.

“I was never banned from here,” Cole said as the officers asked him to leave.

“It’s not a debate. We’re asking you nicely,” an officer responded.

Officers hauled Cole out the door while his wife, Rhadell Cole, filmed the tense exchange on her cellphone, marking the second time in 15 months security has escorted the pair from City Hall in dramatic fashion.

The first occasion, last June, ended in arrests after

See Full Page