Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine honored several special guests during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, including Deamonte J. Wilson, the five-year-old-boy who was shot in the leg at the end of July.
Wilson’s 6th birthday was the same day as the council meeting. He was not only honored with a proclamation for his bravery by the City of Ville Platte but was also gifted a basketball goal, birthday cake, and several other gifts. During a portion of the meeting, Wilson sat on the mayor’s lap and banged the gavel to call the meeting to order.
When recounting the shooting of Wilson, Mayor Vidrine became emotional, saying, “This is a child we could have lost because of these senseless shootings, these senseless guns, and these senseless situations that nobody sees nothing and nobody knows nothing. That’s why we keep asking you: if you see something, say something. This child is innocent. We could have lost him because a 17-year old decides he wants to shoot and almost taking this precious life.”
She pleaded with the public to tell the police when they see guns in someone’s house. She said, “These guns are not getting here by themselves. We’ve got to know how these guns are getting into Ville Platte. Who’s selling the guns? Who’s bringing the guns in? Who’s buying the guns? Why they have the guns?”
Councilman Mike Perron mentioned a separate shooting which happened at the Y-Not Stop, three days before Wilson was shot. He said one of his constituents had to give her child Valium to calm them down because of how scared they were. Perron asked the council if they could ask the Y-Not Stop to close at midnight on the weekends. Ville Platte Chief of Police Neil Lartigue stated the Shell station/Y-Not Stop has agreed it will be closing from 1:30 or 1:45 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. on the weekends.
Councilman Lionel Anderson then took issue with the old L&V Superette. He said people stay on the streets drinking and doing drugs by the store. He contacted the mayor, and she told them they need to close at midnight. He said the store did that for two or three days and it made a big difference, but they went back to staying open until 1 a.m. or 1:30. The mayor said they are being ignored by the store owner. The city agreed to get the legal department to find out what their next step would be.
The council honored Sister Rita Darensbourg and Sister Lucille Stelly, two nuns who have left St. Joseph Catholic Church to be reassigned to another diocese. Sister Rita was there for 10 years, and Sister Lucille was there for 12 years. Mayor Vidrine said they not only served St. Joseph’s but also the community. Fr. Tom Voorhies, pastor of St. Joseph’s, accepted the proclamations from the city on their behalf. He said, “They loved their time here.”
Also honored at the meeting was Lisa Celestine Jack, middle school Teacher of the Year. Mayor Vidrine announced Jack is now the assistant principal of Ville Platte Elementary. “You’re making this city and this parish proud,” Vidrine told Jack.
Later in the meeting, the council approved the hiring of five new police officers. The goal is ten new police officers to patrol the city. In the past, Chief Lartigue has stated new police officers often leave for more money in bigger cities. At the meeting, the council asked the new officers if they understood their salary going in. They all agreed and said they would stay in Ville Platte.
Mayor Vidrine also announced the city is looking to fill other jobs. She said they are getting applicants who cannot pass the drug test. “Last week we had ten applicants, and all ten failed the drug test. If you know you’re not going to pass the drug test, please do not fill an application to begin with.”
She said they want to hire 10 people in the industry department and said there was also a problem hiring people with felonies on their records. The mayor asked the council if they can change the rule so that an applicant can have a felony on their record, but not in the last ten years. She said many people who made mistakes when they were younger are different people today. The council overwhelmingly approved the motion.
In other business, the council:
• approved a request by restaurant-owner Jay Gielow, who asked for the closure of Railroad Street between Main and Magnolia, on Saturday, November 2 for a street dance, cosponsored with the Evangeline Arts Council.
• heard from Evangeline Parish Chamber of Commerce Director Renee Brown, who announced a parish-wide yard-and-art sale to be held Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28.
• heard from George Morgan about police training.
• was updated the public about the demolition of blighted properties.
• introduced a new ordinance that would fine anyone driving through a flooded area. The public hearing for the ordinance is September 10 at 4:45 p.m.
Image
NANCY DUPLECHAIN Associate Editor