ABBEVILLE, LA - Redistricting took center stage at Tuesday night’s Abbeville City Council meeting, where community members and civil rights groups voiced concerns about fairness and representation.
The city is legally required to update its district map to reflect population changes. City attorneys presented a proposed map they say complies with legal standards. However, some residents and civil rights advocates argue the map unfairly concentrates Black voters into a single district, diluting their political influence across the city.
“I’ve been standing here since 2021 waiting for them to make a decision,” said Marilyn Mitchell, secretary of the Vermilion Parish chapter of the NAACP. “So how long does it take to make a decision? It’s about fairness. How long is the fairness going to take from 2021 to 2025 to 2026? How long?”
The Southern Poverty Law Center and the NAACP have both expressed opposition to the proposed map, calling for a version they say better reflects racial equity.
Tensions during the meeting led at least one individual to walk out. Councilman Francis Plaisance of District B introduced a motion to include the NAACP’s proposed map in the discussion, but the motion failed.
“I think they’ve been working on it a while, and that’s the map I felt like was fair and equal,” Plaisance said. “And I have to be shown different at this point.”
The council has not yet finalized a decision on the redistricting plan but is expected to revisit and adjust the map in the coming weeks.
Ahmed Soussi, senior legal representative with the Southern Poverty Law Center, welcomed the delay.
“We’re happy that the city is finally understanding that their map is a no-go because it doesn’t provide equal representation,” Soussi said.
