Cockfights On Hold
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
An effort to revive cockfighting in St. Landry Parish or elsewhere in Louisiana is a dead issue – at least for now.
The St. Landry Parish Council is requesting that the State Attorney General’s Office issue an opinion regarding the legality of cockfighting following a highly-contested meeting Wednesday night.
Council members defeated by one vote a proposed resolution that would have asked lawmakers to introduce legislation that would change a Louisiana law in order to allow the gaming activity to recommence parishwide.
Instead the matter of cockfighting legality is placed before the AG’s Office..
All seats were occupied in the Council meeting room as lengthy discussions between cockfighting advocates and council members debated the merits of a gaming activity that is illegal in every state.
Another large group sheltered underneath umbrellas outside as they waited for the decisions by the Council.
How It Unfolded
The Council voted 7-6 against the resolution that would have asked District 40 state representative Dustin Miller to introduce a bill which grants an exception to state law in order to make cockfighting legal in St. Landry.
Parish president Jessie Bellard urged council members to move the vote forward rather than wait until next month.
Council chairman Wayne Ardoin cast the deciding vote which defeated the resolution request.
Alvin Stelly, Vivian Olivier, Dexter Brown, Timothy LeJeune, Jimmie Edwards, and Jody White voted “yes,” while Harold Taylor, Ken Marks, Ernie Blanchard, Nancy Carriere, Faltery Jolivette, Mildred Thierry and Ardoin voted against asking legislators to consider crafting a bill to amend state law and allow the parish to host cockfights.
Evangeline Parish resident James Demoruelle, a spokesperson for the cockfighting contingent, appeared satisfied with the decision for the AG opinion.
“I feel asking the Attorney General for an opinion about whether the (state) law is constitutional is a good question which should be asked. As an individual, I should have a right to fight my chickens and the Constitution should protect that individual right,” Demoruelle.
LeJeune said hosting cockfights in St. Landry would create an opportunity for parish government and businesses to generate increased revenue.
Taylor questioned whether it was prudent to make cockfighting legal again in the parish.
“You realize that if we pass this, (St. Landry) will be the only parish or county in the United States that allows cockfighting,” Taylor said.
Carriere added that approving cockfighting is unnecessary, since the parish has other problems to consider.
