Las Vegas City Council upholds decision to revoke Garden of Love business license

Done. That’s where the Las Vegas City Council left the Garden of Love.

According to an article in the Review Journal, the council upheld an early decision by city staff to not renew the chapel’s business license. The council’s vote was unanimous and the chapel was declared a public nuisance.

The chapel has been under fire for allegations that its employees bully, harass and attack employees from competing chapels. It has also been the subject of some 30 complaints to the city in the last five years.

In case you didn’t know, it works like this:

New couples leaving the wedding bureau are bombarded by handbillers from the various chapels around town. The practice is neither a pretty nor a new phenomenon. The Garden of Love handbillers are accused of intimidating and attacking competing handbillers for the business of passersby with new marriage licenses.

Earlier this month, several chapels banded together to fly a couple to Las Vegas to testify against the Garden. The couple’s experience at the chapel was highly publicized and they served as an example of the alleged questionable business tactics of the Garden.

Lt. George Glasper from the Regional Justice Center, told the council that nearly 90 percent of the complaints he receives about the handbillers are related to The Garden of Love and its employees.

Although the chapel cannot conduct business without a license, if owners decide to appeal, a judge could allow them to do so while the case is open.

Read the Review Journal article here.