Council Says “No” Again
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
The St. Landry Parish Council is remaining adamant about rejecting a support of cockfighting.
Nearly three weeks after the Sheriff Department made an arrest in connection with an alleged attempt by a large crowd to stage a cockfight in the Prairie Ronde area, council members told a cockfighting proponent last week that any further discussion about reviving the issue should be considered moot.
James Demourelle, an Evangeline Parish resident, renewed his February request to have council members send a letter to the Attorney General’s Office, asking for an opinion on the legality of cockfighting.
Demourelle reminded the Council that they initially approved asking for the opinion at the same meeting where council members later voted 7-6 against asking state legislators to consider amending a Louisiana law that prohibits cockfighting.
Several council members including Dexter Brown and chairman Wayne Ardoin, told Demourelle on Wednesday that State Attorney General Liz Murrill had already issued a statement that indicated she would not issue any opinion on a law which was approved by state lawmakers in 2008.
Demourelle told the Council that he didn’t want to cause any legal problems, but using a section from the U.S. Constitution Demourelle said he feels his rights and those of others are being violated by not allowing cockfighting to become legal again.
Since the Council never sent the letter asking for a cockfighting opinion to the AG’s Office, Demourelle requested that the opinion letter should be sent anyway.
“Just send the letter. It’s that simple,” said Demourelle.
Ardoin said the Council had already made its decision.
“You asked for the AG’s opinion and this Council did not pass a motion to ask the state legislature to introduce a bill that would change the law,” Ardoin told Demourelle.
Brown additionally told Demourelle that the Council had “made a statement” so asking for a legal opinion on the matter is unnecessary.
“The attorney general has said that she doesn’t need to issue an opinion,” Brown said.
Council attorney Garrett Duplechain told Demourelle that federal law also does not allow cockfighting.
Council member Timothy LeJeune said, “(The attorney general) answered the question. That’s why the letter (to Murrill) was never sent.”
Council member Harold Taylor urged the Council to move on from the cockfighting issue.
“It failed to pass. It’s moot from our standpoint. We’re done with this matter,” said Taylor.
