Officials in and around Las Vegas are embarking on a long process of trying to "clean up" the Strip. To this end, Clark County Commissioners have passed an ordinance which bans so-called "dangerous objects" from any sidewalk on the Strip. The law is intended to target individual street performers who stand on sidewalks along Las Vegas’ most popular thoroughfare.

The ordinance prohibits several kinds of objects that it classifies as dangerous, including:

fireworks
flaming objects
devices which shoot projectiles
electrical cords
electrical generators
amplifiers
skateboards
roller blades
knife blades more than three inches in length

Ironically, this ordinance does not ban firearms from city sidewalks (though weapons are addressed elsewhere in the county and state criminal codes).

Whatever the reasons for its passage, the new ordinance does help pedestrians by eliminating hazards that could cause slip and fall accidents on Strip sidewalks. Before this ordinance, patrons ran the risk of:

tripping on electrical cords
stumbling over generators or amplifiers
being struck by flaming objects, fireworks, projectiles, or blades
being burned by generators or amplifiers that catch fire
being struck by a performer wearing roller blades or on a skateboard

What the ordinance doesn’t change is the fact that people who are injured as a result of slip and fall accidents caused by street performers or their equipment are entitled to relief. They could file a personal injury lawsuit against the responsible individual and likely collect reimbursement for hospital expenses, compensation for lost wages due to work absenteeism, and even damages for pain and suffering in some cases.