Petition to Support our Libraries and Stand Against Censorship

Libraries in Parishes across the state are being targeted for censorship by political special interest groups and we need your help to stop them here in St Tammany. 

 

St Tammany Parish is a welcoming community to all and we stand firmly against banning books.  As such we endorse the following statements:

  • We believe that all people in our Parish deserve to see themselves reflected in our library’s collection.
  • We know a large majority of Americans (75%) across the political spectrum oppose book bans.
  • We stand in opposition to special interest groups seeking to limit access or remove books from our libraries. These groups include the St Tammany Parish Library Accountability Project, Citizens for a New Louisiana, and AG Landry. 
  • We believe parents should decide for themselves what their children read and that individuals and groups from our community should not dictate what other parents let their children read or what books are available in our library. 
  • Limiting access to or banning books from public libraries is a slippery slope to government censorship and a violation of our first amendment rights.
  • We hold our library director and our librarians in high regard and trust them to do their jobs.

We are united against book bans and we ask that our Parish President and Council pledge to act to protect the rights of members of our community to access a variety of books, magazines and other media through our public libraries.

Information about what brought this petition about can be found here.

3,422 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Natalie Tobacyk
    signed via 2022-12-05 16:04:21 -0600
  • anne mcfarland
    signed 2022-12-05 16:03:34 -0600
  • Melanie Orwig
    signed 2022-12-05 15:44:51 -0600
    Everyone should be able to find something in a good library that they don’t agree with.
  • Marilyn Clisham
    signed via 2022-12-05 15:39:43 -0600
  • Jayme Scharfenstein
    signed 2022-12-05 15:39:32 -0600
  • Elise Macey
    signed via 2022-12-05 15:33:55 -0600
  • Sarah Aucoin
    signed 2022-12-05 15:32:09 -0600
  • Jessica Nicolini
    signed 2022-12-05 15:31:04 -0600
  • Nicholas Presley
    signed via 2022-12-05 15:30:09 -0600
  • Noah LeJeune
    signed 2022-12-05 15:25:26 -0600
  • Kyra Stanton
    signed via 2022-12-05 15:22:25 -0600
    Stop indoctrinating children with hate. You can impose your own religious doctrines upon them in your own home. Don’t limit the community’s ability to learn.
  • Jason MacFetters
    signed via 2022-12-05 15:20:37 -0600
  • Ellie Reinhardt
    signed 2022-12-05 15:20:29 -0600
  • Julie Seversin
    signed 2022-12-05 15:05:15 -0600
  • Rachel Devine
    signed via 2022-12-05 14:53:28 -0600
  • Kathy Ryan
    signed 2022-12-05 14:52:58 -0600
  • Stephen Zimmer
    signed 2022-12-05 14:51:41 -0600
  • Colin Macfetters
    signed 2022-12-05 14:45:49 -0600
    Next will be burning books. Sad.
  • Steve Literati
    signed via 2022-12-05 14:45:24 -0600
  • Gary Giewat
    signed 2022-12-05 14:43:57 -0600
  • Burton Scheib
    signed 2022-12-05 14:38:37 -0600
    I agree with Paul Anger’s comments.
  • Leighanna Kain
    signed 2022-12-05 14:38:21 -0600
  • George Hunter
    signed 2022-12-05 14:33:19 -0600
    Book banning is wrong! Those who promote, support, or remain silent are no better then those who did so in the 1930’s. , when Adolf Hitler rose to power.

    These dark nightmarish ideas have no place in the United States of America! I suspect those who support these book banning crusades are doing so because of deeply held religious beliefs.

    I could make the argument that the Bible and its many written versions have caused social harm for centuries! I think it’s wise to let public decide which books are worthy of reading.
  • Kathleen Fitzgerald
    signed 2022-12-05 14:30:58 -0600
    Suicide rates in this Parish are already too high. Let’s not make segments of our population feel less valued.
  • Chelsea Wattigney
    signed 2022-12-05 14:30:41 -0600
  • Pushpa Ramaiah
    signed 2022-12-05 14:29:49 -0600
  • Peyton Michelle
    signed 2022-12-05 14:29:32 -0600
  • Coralis Rodriguez
    signed via 2022-12-05 14:27:15 -0600
  • Paul Anger
    signed 2022-12-05 14:26:29 -0600
    Banning books seems to be an attempt to deny current reality and culture and, in effect, discriminate against members of society who already face obstacles, bullying and discrimination. The books in question are not pornographic by any definition. This whole mis-begotten effort smacks of ideology and the kind of thing that happened in Germany, 1930s. C’mon, folks, we should be open-minded and inclusionary!
  • Tracey Couret
    signed 2022-12-05 14:26:24 -0600