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.

3,526 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Paula Taylor
    signed 2022-12-05 14:25:08 -0600
  • Carl Palmer
    signed 2022-12-05 14:24:50 -0600
    Nazis ban books. Not Americans.
  • Patrick Judge
    signed 2022-12-05 14:22:18 -0600
  • Dolly McSwain
    signed 2022-12-05 14:20:32 -0600
  • Brandi Campbell
    signed 2022-12-05 14:19:47 -0600
  • Rose Shulman
    signed 2022-12-05 14:18:22 -0600
  • Hank Schlau
    signed 2022-12-05 14:12:37 -0600
  • Tina Johnson
    signed 2022-12-05 14:12:06 -0600
  • Holly Williams
    signed 2022-12-05 14:09:47 -0600
  • Jennifer Karasoulis
    signed via 2022-12-05 14:09:12 -0600
    Banning books LGBTQ+ books would hinder our community immensely!! Having no literature (fiction or non) to help queer individuals feel alone and could lead to mental health issues. Everyone needs to have a voice to their story that validates others in a similar situation.
  • Megan Fitzgerald
    signed 2022-12-05 14:08:12 -0600
  • Stephen Greenwood
    signed 2022-12-05 14:06:25 -0600
  • Julie Hanks
    signed 2022-12-05 14:05:11 -0600
  • Glenn McGovern
    signed 2022-12-05 14:04:37 -0600
  • Sharon Bowler
    signed 2022-12-05 14:04:32 -0600
  • Michelle Greene
    signed 2022-12-05 14:03:45 -0600
  • Michael Levatino
    signed 2022-12-05 14:03:42 -0600
  • Andrew Johns
    signed via 2022-12-05 13:56:50 -0600
  • Ellie Morrissey
    signed via 2022-12-05 13:50:27 -0600
  • Trevor Aucoin
    signed 2022-12-05 13:50:27 -0600
    A ban on books is a ban on the 1st amendment. It’s also harmful, hateful, and proves nothing more than bigotry is at an all time high.
  • Shae Crain
    signed 2022-12-05 13:46:28 -0600
    Censorship harms marginalized people. And it harms children. Jeff Landry isn’t attempting to protect children; he wants to control them.
  • Edith Walker
    signed via 2022-12-05 13:25:55 -0600
  • Lauren Chustz
    signed 2022-12-05 13:21:28 -0600
  • Christopher Calderone
    signed 2022-12-05 13:00:12 -0600
  • Desiree Calderone
    signed via 2022-12-05 12:55:55 -0600
  • Glenn Stubblefield
    signed 2022-12-05 12:41:35 -0600
  • Katherine Gallinghouse
    signed 2022-12-05 12:25:05 -0600
  • Amy Kussmann
    signed 2022-12-05 11:48:35 -0600
  • Nathan Bornio
    signed 2022-12-05 11:28:55 -0600
  • Shelby Schultheis
    signed 2022-12-05 10:21:38 -0600