It is essential for Livingston Parish to understand the FACTS and the timelines of events from the past 2 years.
We believe in the TRUTH. Over the next 5 days, we will be posting the factual information and evidence about what has been happening to our public library. We stand by our library workers and our public library and we would like to put a stop to the false information being spread.
This page is NOT run by the library, but by concerned residents of Livingston Parish.
Several people were shocked at our post of what was said by Scott Dickerson. We agree, it was shocking. Ask yourselves why some got mad at us posting that comment, a comment he actually made…..yet they didn’t get mad about his BEHAVIOR? Why were some mad at us posting HIS comment, but have not been mad at the men who repeatedly call our LBOC members and community members vile names online? Why the double standard?
Over the next few days, we will give you what you want—the full story about Francine Smith and the removals of board members. Do you think there might be more to the story than that vile Dickerson quote? There is. Here we go…
In the summer of 2022, Fran Smith, a woman who loves Livingston Parish and our library, as seen by decades of service to our community, first saw her fellow school librarian colleague and friend unjustly attacked and maligned in 2022 for speaking out against censorship at a public LBOC meeting. This was the speech that prompted this harassment by two men, led by the outside group Citizens for a New Louisiana (CFNL).
Speech: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAspeech
Pictures: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAvte
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Then Fran saw one of these men yell at LBOC members at a public meeting of the board. An associate of Citizens for a New Louisiana called the board, including longtime educator and respected community member Kathy Degeneres, a piece of shit at an open board meeting.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z74WGNZmBWk
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Then Fran saw this same outside group, along with insiders backed by Livingston Rising PAC (Created by the spouse of Councilwoman Erin Sanfedur) repeatedly attack and malign her friends the Minceys and smear Buddy Mincey during last fall’s election, calling him awful names.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC5rhC13wI0
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Then Fran watched as State Rep Kellee Dickerson lobbied against a teacher pay raise (Fran is an educator) and watched as she filed a bill in the LA Legislature (HB 777) to imprison librarians to two years hard labor (her profession) for attending a conference with their professional organization. This was backed by Parish Councilwoman Erin Sandefur, LBOC Member Larry Davis, and the outside group CFNL.
Post: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAkdp
Article: https://tinyurl.com/LPLA777a
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran saw her mentor, and former LBOC member Debbie Henson, publicly maligned by these same people, and Debbie’s treatment/unfair removal by the Parish Council. Fran spoke to the Parish Council on Mrs. Henson’s behalf, even though she was interested in the LBOC position. She advocated for Debbie over herself. They removed Debbie anyway.
Video: https://youtu.be/NVHdmGUb21Y?feature=shared
Fran held it in and said nothing.
For over two years, we have seen an attack on our public library, LBOC members, and people who speak up for the library at meetings. Along with the rest of the community, unjustly removed LBOC member Fran Smith saw the following: a fellow school librarian being defamed, LBOC being called pieces of shit, community members being smeared, her mentor Debbie be maligned and removed from the LBOC, and a state Rep who filed a bill against librarians in the legislature.
Fran held it in and said nothing.
In March of 2023, Fran watched in horror as our longtime and well respected former library director, Giovanni Tairov, was treated disgustingly by the outside group Citizens for a New Louisiana. Tairov, who worked tirelessly for our LP Library system for over a decade, was accused of not only allowing erotica in the library (FALSE), but allowing it in the kids’ section (FALSE). The lies being told about our community members are atrocious. Tairov was harassed by this outside group and mistreated by our Parish Council until he resigned. Soon after, Assistant Director Jennifer Seneca resigned. Who can blame them after so much online abuse from extremists and our own PC? The outside extremist group bragged and wrote: “Thanks to our work, on March 6, 2023, both the Library Director Giovanni Tairov and his assistant director resigned.”
Posts: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAgtp
Video: (begins around 33 min in) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_wS_FPeSRQ
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran was nominated and went before the Parish Council for the appointment. After Fran was approved for the LBOC position, she quietly sat in the audience and watched as Abby Crosby opposed her board appointment and accused her of misbehavior at a school board meeting and of having a fake Facebook profile. This display at a Parish Council public meeting is despicable.
Video: https://youtu.be/amBWCB4aq8I?feature=shared
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran joined the LBOC and worked hard to be a fair and open-minded member, even when consistently talked down to by fellow LBOC member Larry Davis. At one meeting, Parish Councilman Gerald McMorris had to step in and defend her treatment by Larry Davis.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VxFGNFzHmyA
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran was publicly called names and berated by community members at LBOC meetings. She was falsely accused of wanting children to look at penises that weren’t even in any books in question.
Video (2:02 into the video): https://www.youtube.com/live/vNbl9gK6ebU?si=YtAaa3Xm7WNgElG2
Fran held it in and said nothing.
She watched as vile things were said online and that LBOC members were groomers.
Post: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAccg
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran watched as her fellow LBOC members were called names on social media and unfairly removed by the Parish Council. She saw their removal celebrated by this outside group who works to target residents of Livingston Parish.
Posts: https://tinyurl.com/LPLApvw
Fran held it in and said nothing as these women were targeted.
How much was Fran expected to take? Stay tuned.
For the past two days, we have shown attacks on residents of our community and library. From the board removals, defamation, and hostile language to the targeting of residents and harassment.
LBOC member Francine Smith was told repeatedly by Parish Councilman Ryan Chavers that Rep Kellee Dickerson was attempting to use her influence to have Fran removed from the LBOC for months. Fran had done nothing wrong. Why did she want her removed? We suspect it was because she was following the law, following the parish attorney’s advice, and refusing to ban books.
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran watched the legislative hearing for HB 777 where Rep Kellee Dickerson, Larry Davis, and Erin Sandefur stated inaccuracies and misrepresentations about libraries and librarians. Fran watched as Larry Davis was admonished for his behavior in the State Legislature—the same behavior he shows at LBOC meetings. Fran watched how unprepared Rep. Dickerson was and how she just seemed to be parroting unsubstantiated talking points pushed to further malign libraries and librarians.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2QfBSrerRY
Full hearing: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAd5hh
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran saw fellow LBOC member Dewanna Christian stoking the flames against the library on social media. She also saw her not take her role on the LBOC seriously by asking if she even has to read the challenged books. We feel all LBOC should take their positions seriously by promoting the library in a positive light online, and by committing to reading and reflecting on all of the challenged books. The Supreme Court has previously ruled (Miller vs California) regarding how to evaluate books. As a trained librarian, Fran Smith was knowledgeable about these standards, which include how works must be evaluated as a whole.
Example post: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAdiab
Email: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAcdb
Fran saw all of this, held it in, and said nothing.
Bridgette Gilbert was appointed as ex-officio of the LBOC by Parish President Randy Delatte. She had previously attended LBOC meetings with Rep. Kellee Dickerson. One of the first things she tried to do on the LBOC was question, and seemingly impede, the partnership between the library and Mighty Moms. The library has partnered with Mighty Moms, an outstanding organization that improves the lives of many children in our parish, for YEARS with no issues. Sometimes the snacks and meals they offer are the only food those children will get that day. Our LBOC member Kathy Degeneres knows how important this organization is and has volunteered for them. We are thankful to this organization that has provided thousands of meals and snacks to the children of our parish. They are a professional organization that knows what they are doing. Bridgette wanted to place hurdles in front of this service and referred to the valuable services and partnership by Mighty Moms as “this situation”.
Emails: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAfbmm
Fran held it in and said nothing.
The legality of Mrs. Gilbert’s ex-officio appointment was examined and she was removed from the LBOC. The rumor mill is buzzing that Councilman Chavers could possibly put her in Fran Smith’s place on the board. After the numerous negative emails towards our director that we have seen from her, combined with the micromanaging of agenda items and trying to impede the Mighty Moms program, we hope that is not the case. It would also be a bad look to remove a LBOC member at the request of Rep. Kellee Dickerson in order to replace her with Rep Dickerson’s close friend. One might say … that was the plan all along. That would be a bad look for Chavers who insists he has no agenda and isn’t trying to stack the board.
Emails: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAexof
Fran saw LBOC member Abby Crosby, her husband Brad Crosby, and Valarie Hodges’s legislative aid mock a fellow school librarian after a board meeting. Hint: They childishly call her “bananas.” This type of open behavior, especially posted on social media, is embarrassing for our parish.
Post: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAmaciad
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran saw the outside group continue to target LBOC members and lie about the happenings of LBOC members and meetings. They posted their pictures online and Fran saw disgusting comments online about her friends and fellow board members. What was said in the post (linked below) is a lie and was not what happened in the meeting. This was just another attempt by CFNL to spread havoc and lies from their parish to ours.
Post: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAiht
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran watched as LBOC member Larry Davis placed an item on the agenda to vote for a new “chair” of the LBOC. There’s no such thing as a board chair. Was this an attempt to remove longtime board member and Board President Mr. Ronnie Bencaz from his position? The item was pulled from the agenda when he realized it was not going his way. It is important to note that Larry speaks rudely to Mr. Bencaz during meetings, and often mutters, “Jesus Christ,” when Mr. Bencaz speaks. This behavior against a longtime community treasure can only be described as despicable.
Email: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAlnie
Agenda: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAags
Video: https://youtu.be/KzlijYHiUNY?feature=shared
Fran has witnessed a lot of negativity. She held it in and said nothing.
Stay tuned.
For 3 days, we have shown attacks on residents of our community, LBOC members, and the library. Much has been instigated from forces outside of our parish, but as the evidence shows, they are aided by elected and appointed officials from within our parish.
Over the past few months, there have been misleading posts on social media about the creation of a parenting shelf. A compromise was made that could have satisfied all parties, and the community favorably voiced approval. That was not good enough for several LBOC members. Abby Crosby asked for a special meeting. Mr. Bencaz said yes and emailed to request the special meeting so the board could discuss it further. In response, Larry Davis threatened to sue LBOC members. Look for yourself at the emails and see how certain members of the board respond to others.
Email chain: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAesmps
The “oh-so-horrible” parenting shelf: https://tinyurl.com/LPLApswb
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran watched as LBOC member Abby Crosby berated Director Michelle Parrish, and Fran herself, outside of the last board meeting. In the video, Mrs. Crosby identified herself as a LBOC member, it was recorded on library property, and she was acting in her role as a LBOC member when she live-streamed this video. Why is a LBOC member allowed to publicly behave this way, yet Fran Smith was removed for a private conversation?
Video: https://youtu.be/DcqGufXasjE?feature=shared
Fran held it in and said nothing.
Fran finally had enough when Citizens for a New Louisiana made an inflammatory post about LBOC members and what happened at the last LBOC meeting. Scott Dickerson, Rep. Kellee Dickerson’s husband, began publicly commenting about Fran on social media. Fran chose to send a private message to Mr. Dickerson rather than publicly address her frustrations. Were her comments bold? Yes. Could she have worded them better? Maybe.
After over 2 years, Francine Smith finally decided she had enough.
This is the conversation in full, along with the post: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAsdatf
“I have to say that you are one distorted individual. You’re [sic] ignorance on so many things is astounding. You’re just a spec [sic] of crap on my shoe. Meaningless, just annoying. You wish you could be [Kellee]....I feel sorry for your husband.” —Scott Dickerson to Fran Smith
A former teacher of Rep. Dickerson questioned Rep. Dickerson’s actions in an email and voiced support for an alliance member. Using her State Rep. email account, Rep. Dickerson implied her former teacher might have dementia. We won’t even go into the grossness of that comment towards an elderly woman. Once again, this is a case of true colors shining through.
Emails: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAkhde
Rep. Dickerson has publicly stated that everyone should be allowed freedom of speech. Seems that only applies to speech she likes, not speech that calls her or her husband out for bad behavior. The hypocrisy in the following video is astounding.
Video: https://youtu.be/ozYtIeEQO2I?feature=shared
Ryan Chavers did not stand up for his LBOC member. He threw her under the bus and bowed to pressure from Rep. Kellee Dickerson, who should have zero influence over the LBOC other than as a resident like everyone else. Residents sent 1,140 emails to the Parish Council against Fran’s removal.
Video: https://youtu.be/idW4IV6jtHY?feature=shared
As usual, the outside extremist group celebrated. This group is based in Lafayette. They do not live or work here. Why are they continually trying to influence OUR PARISH’S library? Who in our parish is working with them? Hmmmm....
Post: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAwwilp
Francine Smith was asked to resign from the LBOC. She prayed about it and decided not to. Fran was tired of being quiet. Fran’s only “crime” was a private conversation after more than 2 years of witnessing ugliness and abuse lodged at her, her friends and the library. Fran had this to say at the Parish Council meeting.
Video: https://youtu.be/iEVww8Ufh-s?feature=shared
Francine Smith boldly stood in front of the Parish Council to put it on the record. There is much to be said for Fran’s bravery, knowing it would be embarrassing and hurtful to herself. She owned it. We expected nothing less from this Desert Storm veteran and educator of some of our strongest-willed children. She spoke with dignity and grace. Yet she was still removed for voicing an opinion in a private message, as a constituent addressing her representative, and was not acting on behalf of the LBOC. Citizens on any side, who hold any belief, should be able to speak up without a governing body punishing that free speech as an individual. These actions of our Parish Council chill our free speech. Perhaps that's the point.
Want the truth? We will leave you with this:
Video: https://youtu.be/pS9W5pyAUm0?feature=shared
Fran was tired of being silent. She had enough. We have, too. We stand proudly with Francine Smith.
For 4 days, we have shown attacks on residents of our community, LBOC members, and the library. Much has been instigated from forces outside of our parish, but as the evidence shows, they are aided by elected and appointed officials from within our parish. You can find a brief recap here: https://www.lplalliance.com/the-removal-of-fran-smith.
Outspoken and strong women are being targeted and talked down to by people in elected and appointed positions in our Parish. It is a growing problem. For example, planning commission member Brian Clemmons posted about LPL Library Director Michelle Parrish, as if she were a dog, stating, “She needs to be called to heel,” when Councilman Chavers said he was considering appointing a new LBOC member from a list of community members Michelle recommended. Councilman Chavers can appoint any person he likes; he is not required to choose from Michelle’s recommendations. However, a good library director passes on names to Council members of those who show interest in joining the board. To date, Councilman Chavers has not defended Michelle from this personal attack. This is not the first time Brian Clemmons has spoken derogatively about women. Does our Parish President approve of this behavior? We hope not.
Post: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAbcd
We expect more from our elected and appointed officials. Fran Smith had enough of the repeated abuse and privately said so. She is human. Others consistently push hate at LBOC meetings and on social media with zero repercussions. If you don’t see the double standard, then you might be a part of the problem.
When is it going to stop–when our library is finally destroyed? Ask yourselves if the people attacking our library even use the library or have library cards. I think you already know the answer. Ask yourselves what their REAL agenda is. There are better ways to gain attention than maligning our library.
A local pastor held up a book he didn’t like at the last Parish Council meeting, stating he has plans to read from it at the next LBOC. This is referred to as a “book crisis actor”. He wants to get attention. He then said he had a list of 125 books he wanted removed. Based on the misinformed and hysterical posts he often makes on social media, we do not want this man in charge of our reading decisions. We trust the trained and educated librarians.
See this article titled, “Hero Syndrome in Book Banning Efforts”: https://bookriot.com/hero-syndrome-in-book-banning-efforts/
Hero syndrome is much more evident in a hyper-connected world. It gives people a feeling of purpose, and the more they can “empower” others to stand up, the more they are rewarded.
These people show up to meetings, feeling a sense of connection among people in an era of disconnection, and faithfully following others to fight against the topic du jour.
People who read books out of context in open meetings are attention seekers and this is how they go about it. They need all eyes on them. It’s not about the books.
Through public records requests, we have found that four new titles have been challenged, and we suspect there are more (based on social media comments). These are not in the children’s section. They are in Young Adult/Teen. The library has a tiered library card system, so parents have to sign off on book checkouts for kids under 16 unless they sign away permissions. If a parent doesn’t want their kid to check out a book, and they’re under 16, they can’t anyway. And if a parent doesn’t want their kid even looking in the Teen/YA section, they should come to the library with them. The library is not a daycare.
Library Card Policy for Minors: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAlcp
Unaccompanied Minors Policy: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAmcil
The currently known challenged books are:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Me, Early, and the Dying Girl
Damsel
13 Reasons Why
These books are written for teens and are in the teen section.
This week, we posted the following about LBOC member Dewanna Christian: “Fran saw fellow LBOC member Dewanna Christian stoking the flames against the library on social media. She also saw her not take her role on the LBOC seriously by asking if she even has to read the challenged books. We feel all LBOC should take their positions seriously by promoting the library in a positive light online, and by committing to reading and reflecting on all of the challenged books.”
Apparently the truth struck a nerve. Mrs. Christian posted, “Do y’all know that the library alliance group thinks we should ignore sexually explicit material if the book as a whole has a good story to tell?”
As a group of citizens dedicated to supporting the 1st Amendment, library policies, and the law, of course we expect a LBOC member to do her due diligence and read the entire book. It’s in her description of duties as a board member. The Supreme Court has previously ruled (Miller vs California) regarding how to evaluate books. We expect her to follow the law. If she cannot follow library policy and/or law, she should not be on the board.
This is what she had to say about it (in her own words): https://tinyurl.com/LPLAfdce
There’s also been much discussion about the law. What is The Miller Test?
The Miller Test is the primary legal test for determining whether expression constitutes obscenity. As per the Supreme Court, materials MUST PASS ALL 3 PRONGS of the Miller Test. They are:
whether the average person applying contemporary community standards would find the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest;
whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law; and
whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.
References: https://tinyurl.com/LPLAmtedc
Miller vs California: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/413/15/
We will be posting summaries, professional reviews, etc for these books soon. With the repeated removal of level-headed LBOC members, we expect blatant censorship against these books and others by the new board. We hope we are wrong.
If successful, they will continue to remove and relocate books from our public library—books that have been around for many years with no problems. Books that are widely recognized as having literary merit.
It is not about the books. It is about the violation of everyone’s first amendment protections and the freedom to read. It is about them wanting to be angry about something and they’ve been told to be angry at the library. It is about them trying to have power and control over what the rest of us have access to in the public library.
Know the facts. Fight the lies. Stand with the library.
To be continued in the coming weeks…..
