Avoyelles Parish recalls past, prepares for future of civil rights

They met to celebrate the progress that has been made in civil rights and to honor those men and women who fought in the front lines of that fight in the last half of the 20th Century.

But those who attended the Martin Luther King Day events in Avoyelles Parish this past Monday did not just dwell on the rocky road of the past, but also on the problems that still plague the African-American community .

The Martin Luther King Day events were about the difficulties and discriminations that have been overcome, but also about important issues that still block the road ahead.

About 30 area churches and communities across the parish collaborated in Marksville to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders of the national and local civil rights movement.

Earlier that day a march and program was held at the Bethune Center in Marksville.

Another event was held later that day in Bunkie with a march and commemorative service.

SEVERAL HONOREES

The event began at Congregational First Baptist Church on Legion Drive where a large number participated in a march from there to St. John Community Church-Baptist for a program featuring special speakers, singing and honoring African-American civic and political leaders.

Among those recognized were Howard Desselle Jr. {see separate article above} and Freeman Ford, both of whom died this past year.

The ceremony also recognized mayors Beryl Pierite Holmes of Moreauville, Leslie Draper III of Simmesport and Kenneth Pickett of Mansura.

School Board members Lizzie Ned and Shelia Blackman-Dupas who left the board this past year were also honored at the program. Ned withdrew from a runoff and Blackman-Dupas chose not to seek re-election.

Ford was one of the first blacks elected to a parishwide board when he won a seat on the Avoyelles School Board in 1980. He served on the board until he died in office in March 2018.

Ford also worked for many years as an administrative assistant in the District Attorney’s Office and then in the Public Defender’s Office.

Pickett was the first black elected as a mayor in Avoyelles Parish when Mansura voters chose him in 2006. He was re-elected in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Draper was the second minority mayor, being elected in 2016.

Holmes became the first minority woman mayor in Avoyelles Parish and also the first mayor of Native American descent when she was elected without opposition in 2018.

Her election is also notable in that the three aldermen elected with her are also African American, giving the majority-white municipality an all-minority government -- which is also a historical first for the parish.

Rev. Allen Holmes, an assistant pastor at Starlight Baptist Church, but best known for his role in the recently concluded public school desegregation case, said there are several issues facing the African-American community in Avoyelles.

One recurring problem involves criminal justice in the parish, Holmes said.

FRANK CASE

A prime example, he said, is the October 2017 death of Armando Frank.

Frank died while being restrained by law enforcement officers attempting to arrest him on outstanding warrants for trespassing and attempted unauthorized entry of a dwelling stemming from a dispute with a neighbor.

Frank resisted arrest, asking officers to explain why he was being arrested and who had signed the warrant.

Frank was an Army veteran who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia five years prior to the fatal confrontation with sheriff’s deputies and Marksville city police officers.

The officers placed him in a choke hold which led to him dying from suffocation. The Frank family has filed a federal lawsuit in connection with the case.

Holmes said this incident and others -- most notably the shooting of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis -- points out the need for better training of law enforcement officers in the parish.

In the Mardis case, part-time Marksville City Marshal’s deputies were arrested and put on trial. Derrick Stafford was sentenced to 40 years for manslaughter and attempted manslaughter. Norris Greenhouse Jr. was sentenced to 7 1/2 years for negligent homicide and malfeasance by a police officer.

In the Frank case, a State Police investigation and an internal investigation by the Sheriff’s Office found no wrongdoing on the part of the officers.

An Avoyelles Parish grand jury heard the case in March but did not indict any of the officers involved in the incident.

Frank’s brothers, Antonio and Don, attended the MLK event and said they appreciate the public support for their family and the federal lawsuit.

“It feels good on a day like this where it brings awareness to injustice and awareness to what's going on in the world,” Antonio Frank said. “Avoyelles is small, but it is happening everywhere.”

Don Frank said having the support of the community and of the Frank family and friends “means a lot, especially on MLK Day.”

OTHER ISSUES

Holmes said attention will also be brought to bear on Avoyelles Parish crime in general, and in the minority communities in particular.

The murders of Taji Simon and Derrick McGlory in a Marksville bar this past October is another example of a problem facing the black community.

Simon was a rap entertainer who performed under the stage names “Marley Garcia” and “Marley G.”

Holmes said drug use and crimes in Avoyelles Parish communities are “color blind,” affecting all citizens equally, regardless of race.

“For that reason, all Avoyelleans need to join together to support efforts to combat those blights on society,” he said. “We also need to ensure those officers we depend on to protect our communities are adequately trained and prepared to do their important duty.”