From left, Myrtle Felton, Sharon Lavigne, Gail LeBoeuf and Rita Cooper, members of RISE St. James, conduct a live stream video on property owned by Formosa in St. James Parish, La., March 11, 2020
A FEDERAL US court heard arguments today, alleging a south Louisiana parish engaged in racist land-use policies to place polluting industrial facilities in majority-black communities.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, New Orleans, is reviewing a case filed by groups claiming St James Parish “intentionally discriminated against black residents” by encouraging development in areas with predominantly black populations, “while explicitly sparing white residents from the risk of environmental harm.”
The groups Inclusive Louisiana, Rise St James and Mt Triumph Baptist Church, are seeking to halt future industrial development in the parish.
Black Americans already understand what genocide looks like, argues the Black Alliance for Peace, who are supporting the complaint, writes LINDA PENTZ GUNTER
