Two groups carrying on the "Cajun Navy" tradition are headed to court.
The term "Cajun Navy" was coined back in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina left people stranded in New Orleans, and regular citizens hooked their boats up to their trucks and went down there to help. It was a grass roots, informal coalition of people who just wanted to help.
Since that time, many organizations have used "Cajun Navy" in their name, leading to some confusion among people who need help or want to donate, as well as hard feelings and social media sniping among some of the groups.
One of those beefs has now moved into the courthouse; Cajun Navy 2016, which was formed after the flood of August 2016, has filed suit against United Cajun Navy, a Baton Rouge-based group with chapters in 12 states.
According to a press release from Cajun Navy 2016's Trey Williams, the suit was filed in state district court in Baton Rouge, and alleges that United Cajun Navy and two of its leaders, Todd Terrell and Brian Thrasher, have made defamatory statements about his group.
"Cajun Navy 2016 contends the defendants repeatedly published false and misleading statements through social media and other public channels, questioning the organization's legitimacy, integrity, and disaster response efforts," the release from Trey Williams states.
"The petition alleges that the defendants' statements went beyond criticism and instead constituted a deliberate effort to mislead the public, discourage volunteers and donors, and interfere with Cajun Navy 2016's ongoing disaster response operations. The organization argues that false information during disasters creates unnecessary confusion at a time when the public should be focused on helping affected communities recover," the release states.
The release also quotes Cajun Navy 2016 founder Jon Bridgers:
“When floodwaters rise, families don't have time to sort through competing claims on social media. They need to know who is actually showing up. Our reputation is one of the most important tools we have when lives are on the line,” said Jon Bridgers, CEO and founder of Cajun Navy 2016. “We've ignored this for years because helping people has always been more important than arguing online. But there comes a point when staying quiet actually hurts the people we're trying to help.”
We reached out to United Cajun Navy, asking for a response.
Brian Trascher sent us an email that says "This is my response," attaching a screen shot of a story about Bridgers' arrest for contractor fraud back in 2018. A check of the clerk's records shows no formal charges have been filed against Bridgers in that case.
