It’s not uncommon to see two or three people with pythons stationed along Broadway Street — the busy downtown thoroughfare packed with honky-tonks and tourist traps. Those snake-wielding entrepreneurs were always willing to let visitors wear a snake to take what is usually a blurry photo.
Aside from any concerns about pythons wrapped around inebriated tourists’ necks, the more frequent issue is that the snake purveyors were pushy and demanded gratuities from unsuspecting tourists, said the bill’s sponsor, Councilman Jacob Kupin. It’s not the reputation Nashville seeks — even in its debauchery district.
“We want to make sure it’s a place that is very safe and comfortable,” Kupin told The Washington Post. “People are drunk, they’re letting their guards down.”
Kupin, who was elected in August to represent the district that includes downtown, learned this was a problem after starting to walk Broadway on Friday and Saturday nights with the city’s head of nightlife. Kupin said he was surprised to see people just draping pythons on folks for money; his first reaction was worry about the health of the snakes.
He asked police how to prevent this, and they said there was no law against it because people were merely asking for tips and not formally selling anything.
A loophole like that is a small but unsettling thing for a city that has boomed into a destination for bachelor and bachelorette parties while struggling to provide enough housing stock. The area isn’t just a party haven, and lawmakers want to make sure longtime residents — and new ones — feel safe.
“We need to ensure we nip these things in the bud before we grow,” said fellow council member Jordan Huffman.
Huffman joined as a co-sponsor to the bill after hearing about a wrenching reptile experience from a constituent.
Huffman said his constituent was entertaining out-of-towners who wanted to go to Broadway when a snake vendor asked the local if she wanted to wear the snake. She said “no.” But the snake handler put the reptile around her neck anyway.
“My constituent didn’t exactly react well,” Huffman said, adding: “She shrieked and tried to do a little shimmy move and eventually got away … The snake was starting [to] tighten up a little bit.”
Nashville leaders want to cater to tourists while remaining a livable Southern city.
Both council members said it is complicated to balance resident concerns with out-of-town crowds willing to Venmo $100 to a cowboy-hatted cover band so they’ll play “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” Many city officials across the country would happily roll out the red carpet for partyers to fatten the sales-tax coffers.
“We will always be a city that is heavily reliant on tourism, and that’s totally fine,” Huffman said. “Our residents are totally welcome to our visitors.”
Kupin said it is possible to keep the frenetic energy of Broadway while also ensuring everyone is safe. But he said the balance will be a challenge as the city moves from the adolescent stage of entertainment into adulthood.
Broadway is a rarity — the South has few comparably dense and walkable entertainment districts. But, Kupin said, Nashville needs to reckon with whether it wants to host a Bourbon Street like New Orleans or a Beale Street like Memphis.
Huffman said the city is still very much figuring itself out, but at least people don’t have to worry about sidewalk snake hustlers.
“Now you’ll sleep well at night knowing you won’t have a snake placed on you,” Huffman said.
