A vigil for change

The rallying cry for justice, peace and social change filled the brisk evening air around Ville Platte City Hall on Tuesday.
“No justice, no peace!,” “What do we want? Justice!,” and “When do we want it? Now!” were the chants heard during the march down Arnaud Street and then back up Southeast Railroad Avenue, which are the two streets that run parallel to the Ville Platte Police Department.
The march was part of the vigil held outside city hall on the one-year anniversary of the death of 24-year-old Keenan Ardoin, who died while in custody of the Ville Platte Police Department.
“It is time for people to take a stand here in Ville Platte,” local community activist Arthur Sampson told the crowd. “We need to stand up Ville Platte. We got to think of these kids.”
The vigil attracted nearly 50 people, which included church leaders and community activists from across Acadiana, as well as Ville Platte residents and members of Ardoin’s family, including his nephews and four-year-old daughter Lamya Williams.
Ardoin’s great aunt, Odelia Boykins, thanked those for coming out for the event and spoke briefly about her late great nephew.
“Keenan was a very loving young man,” Boykins said. “His three children have to go on without him. You don’t know how much this means for you coming out to support this.”
As activists and church leaders alike took turns addressing the crowd, signs were held up by adults and children alike with messages that read: Scared to Call 911, We Are All Equal, R.I.P. Keenan, #BlackLivesMatter and Justice 4 All.
That theme of justice and the need of change was the focal point of many a speaker that grabbed the microphone during Tuesday’s vigil.
Lafayette-based Pastor John Milton invigorated the crowd by stating that, “Somebody needs to police the police,” upcoming President of the Opelousas Chapter of the NAACP Justin Franklin added, “This is the spark of a fire that won’t be put out,” while President of Community Council of Black Elders in Lafayette TaKuna El Shabazz expressed his disgust with having attended so many vigils for young African-American men “I am tired of coming to vigils for the reason of why we having these vigils.”
Ardoin died shortly after being pepper sprayed and arrested by members of the Ville Platte Police Department, following a call to his residence on Oak Street for a domestic dispute on Dec. 3, 2014.
As reported in the Ville Platte Gazette last year, “According to State Police, four Ville Platte police officers struggled with Ardoin in the dirt up to 10 minutes until they could handcuff him. Williams said police held Ardoin’s face “in the dirt.” According to news reports, officers said they called an ambulance when they noticed the cut on Ardoin’s arm. Soon after that, police said, Ardoin was not responsive. News reports differ as to whether Ardoin died at the scene of the altercation, in an ambulance, or in the hospital.”
The Evangeline Parish coroner later reported that Ardoin’s cause of death was due to drug intoxication as he had both PCP and cocaine in his system.
Ardoin’s family though believes that the way, and length of time, he was in custody contributed to his death.
“He was placed on the ground face down by law enforcement,” Attorney Donald Dobbins, who represents the family said. “He died of cardiac arrest and was basically suffocated.”
Louisiana State Police has been in charge of the investigation, which is now been completed. The findings of that investigation into Ardoin’s death have been passed over to the Evangeline Parish District Attorney’s office for further review. Ardoin’s family though is filing suit against the city and the police department.
Dobbins called for residents at Tuesday’s vigil to vote Mayor Jennifer Vidrine out of office and to get Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue out of office, both who are African-American, if they can’t help change the relationship and interactions between African-Americans and local law enforcement.
Rev. Victor White was on hand to help close out the vigil. White’s son Victor White III allegedly shot himself in the back of an Iberia Parish squad car while having his hands cuffed behind his back and his 2014 death has sparked a movement and federal investigation.
“We wanted to let Keenan’s family know that we are with them,” White said. “You have to all come together because we are affected by it. We’re not going to stop until we get justice.”
The group ended the vigil by holding lighted candles in the air and repeated the simple mantra from earlier that evening, “no justice, no peace.”