Groups representing residents in St. James Parish are urging parish officials to withdraw a proposed ordinance that would redesignate portions of the historic Black community of Romeville for industrial use, reports L’Observateur.
The groups contend the proposal is part of a broader pattern of discriminatory land-use practices that are the subject of an ongoing federal lawsuit against the parish. Attorneys representing Inclusive Louisiana, Mount Triumph Baptist Church and RISE St. James sent a letter to the St. James Parish Council calling on members to remove the ordinance from consideration.
The proposed redesignation would affect land in Romeville, a predominantly Black community already surrounded by industrial facilities. Among the properties impacted is the estate of Harriet Jones, a formerly enslaved woman who purchased land after emancipation and whose descendants have maintained ownership for generations. The proposal also includes areas near Pleasant Hill Cemetery and Colomb Plantation Cemetery, sites advocates say hold significant historical and cultural value. Read more from L’Observateur.
