- 2022 -

• Pride displays are created in libraries.
• Eight people complained directly to the library about the Pride display.

July 26

• Library Board of Control (LBOC) meeting: Donna Bonnoitt spoke against the Pride displays, while 23 others spoke in support.

August 23

• First 3 statements of concerns are submitted:
  • My Rainbow
  • When Aidan Became a Brother
  • Julian is a Mermaid

September 27

• Three more statements of concern are submitted:
  • I am Jazz
  • Frankie and Bug
  • Sex : a book for teens : an uncensored guide to your body, sex, and safety

• The St Tammany Library Alliance forms as a local, grassroots response to these attacks on our First Amendment rights.

October 25

• Connie Phillips gave presentation of LGBTQ+ books at LBOC meeting in Slidell
  • David Cougle was present and spoke as did Kathleen Benfield of Louisiana Family Forum. 
  • This meeting revealed that Phillips and Cougle were working together and with groups outside of St Tammany Parish.
  • October LBOC minutes

November 19

• Connie Phillips submits 37 statements of concern, bringing the total to date to 46.

November 20

• Connie Phillips posts a request on Facebook looking for people to complete Statements of Concern. She offers to provide a list of titles to choose from.

November 21

• The LBOC creates a new card system to give parents control over what materials their children can check out 

November 28

• RPEC meeting in Slidell features then AG Landry, then DA Montgomery and Connie Phillips presenting regarding library censorship.  They are in favor of censoring materials. 
  • 16 days later, the library puts challenged books in a restricted area, not available for perusing on shelves.

November 30

• Additional statements of concern submitted, bringing the total to 64.

December 4

• David Cougle, of behalf of the Accountability Project, proposes the creation of a redundant Library Accountability Board to oversee future book acquisition.

 December 13

• LBOC passes resolution to move all challenged items off shelves to reserve behind the circulation desk.  All in favor; 3 absent.

December 22

• The pro-censorship Accountability Project, founded by Connie Phillips and acknowledged co-founder David Cougle, continues providing supporters lists of books, including book summaries often from BookLooks.org. Filers don't even need to read the books to "have issues" with them.
• Connie Phillips submits a public records request that is highly focused on LGBTQ+ training and materials, while continuing to deny that this is a targeted attack on the LGBTQ+ community.

December 31

• Throughout December, Connie Phillips and others continue to submit statements of concern.  Total number of statements at year end is 193.
  • Connie Phillips submitted 154 of the 193 statements.  
  • Only 12 individuals submitted statements of concern in 2022.

- 2023 -

• Then Attorney General Jeff Landry crafts model library legislation as a part of his "Protecting Innocence" report, supposedly to protect children.  Connie stands at the podium with the governor and legislators.

February 28

• The LBOC passes a resolution requiring any graphic novel (comic book format) that contains sexual conduct to be placed behind the circulation desk. 
  • Sexual conduct is defined in LA RS 14:106, an obscenity law that specifically excludes libraries.
  • This affects over a hundred books, including some previously shelved in the adult fiction section.
  • Council Members Arthur Laughlin and Maureen O'Brien speak in support of censorship.
  • Yeas: J. Airey, C. Butler, A. Shaw, B. Taylor; Nays: M. Reneau; Absent: Dr. A. Morgan

 March 22

• The ACLU of Louisiana publishes an open letter regarding book bans in the state.

March 27

• David Cougle was removed by police for inappropriate behavior during a LBOC meeting.

 April 5

• A “Support Your Local Library” billboard is rented in Mandeville.

April 7

• Local Abita Springs family has their "Ban Hate Not Books" yard sign burned.

April 12

• The “Support Your Local Library” billboard is taken down after the business owner is threatened by book banners.

May 11

• HB 25 (Paul Hollis, Mandeville) which would allow the council to remove library board members at will fails in committee (House Municipal)

May 18

• The LBOC receives a letter from Tulane Law School explaining that the resolutions restricting books are unconstitutional.

June 1

• Bill McHugh and Anthony Parr are appointed by the Parish Council to the LBOC.

June 8

• Louisiana legislators pass Act 436 (Later codified as LA RS25:225), modeled after St Tammany’s card system but less restrictive than the local policy.
  • Requires complainant to be a citizen and a library card holder 
  • Does not require books to be reshelved
  • Local conservative group, Concerned Citizens of St Tammany (CCST), applauds their board member Connie Phillips for her work on this bill. This is the same Connie Phillips who started the push for censorship in our community.

 August 30

• The Parish Council discusses a resolution encouraging the LBOC to adopt policies required by Act 436.
• Connie Phillips physically assaults Library Alliance supporter, Becky Bohm. Phillips later receives diversion at her hearing, while the injury impacts Bohm for at least 18 months later.

 September 13

• Jeff Landry (as Attorney General) issues guidance for libraries implementing Act 436.

September 14

• David Cougle is elected to the Parish Council on a platform of further restricting the library.
  • Local political pressure was likely behind this election.
  • Nine new council members are elected.

September 28

• The LBOC modifies the card system to add a clause prohibiting any books in the children’s or teen section from containing depictions of sexual conduct.
  • The Library Alliance is of the opinion that this was excessive, as it required sex education books and other materials to be moved from their intended locations.

October 13

• Turning Point activist and fired teacher Jonathon Koeppel invites a performative pastor from NC to comment regarding books at a school board meeting.
  • The pastor reads an uncomfortable scene from What Girls Are Made of.
  • No action is taken at the meeting or by the activists after the meeting.
  • Vocal Accountability Project supporter, Michelle Hirstius, provides feedback from her position on the School Board. This is the same Michelle Hirstius who called for Gender Queer to be "taken out of public libraries" in a filed statement of concern.

October 23

• The LBOC rescinds its resolution requiring books with statements of concern to be placed behind the circulation desk but does not repeal the graphic novel (comic book) resolution.

• Library rolls out " Kids’ catalog" that only shows results from the children’s collection.

December 21

• Connie Phillips rescinds her statements of concern and posts online about how she successfully replaced the Parish Council, which includes David Cougle as a new boardmember.

- 2024 -

• The library begins moving any book that mentions sexual content to the adult section. 
  • Opinion: This is a violation of the First Amendment.

February 26

• The LBOC requests that the millage be placed on the November 2024 ballot.

• The Parish Council and parish government secretly decide not to put the millage vote on the November ballot without providing a public explanation.

March 31

• The Parish Council holds a community meeting about the library, inviting representatives from both sides and the library director to present. The book banners do not attend.

April 24

• The LBOC split the Young Adult into two sections: Teen and New Adult.

May 1

• HB 946 (Galle, Mandeville) proposes the removal of LBOC members at will and is involuntarily deferred in committee (House Muni Com)
• Several other anti-library bills fail in the 2024 legislative session, including bills to criminalize librarians, force disassociation with the ALA under penalty, etc.

May 2

• The Parish Council removes all but one member of the existing Library Board and replaces them with individuals supported by book banners, including the Accountability Project's partners, Concerned Citizens of St Tammany and Citizens for a New Louisiana.
  • Donna Bonnoitt, vocal Accountability Project member and the only person who complained in person at the LBOC meeting on the Pride displays back in 2022, shares on Facebook about how this is all part of their plan.

May 20

• Three of the previous board members (Taylor, McHugh and Parr) file suit against the Parish Council and David Cougle.

May 29

• HB 974 (Carlson, Lafayette) gets a last minute amendment to withdraw wording that protects public libraries from at will removal of board members and passes.  
  • It also allows a library director to be hired with no MLIS degree.  
  • This bill was involuntarily deferred by the Muni Committee and transferred to the Ed Committee where it passed. 

• Judge Long blocks the new library board from meeting.

• Judge Long allows the new board to meet but advises them to only conduct essential business, such as approving the budget.

August 5

• The defendants file a motion to suppress key evidence based on claims of legislative privilege.
  • This motion is later supported by the District Attorney on 10/4/24.
  • This same evidence is leaked 2/19/25 by Dan Kleinman of New York/New Jersey based SafeLibraries.
    • Coincidentally, Dan has an established relationship with Citizens for a New Louisiana.

August 9

• Judge Long denies the defendant’s motion claiming legislative privilege.

August 11

• The defendants file an appeal of Judge Long’s 8/9/24 ruling.

October 16

• District Court Judge Brandon Long publicly states, “Now, to be sure, Plaintiffs have presented evidence from which I could infer that one member of the Parish Council, David Cougle, voted to pass the resolution out of retaliatory animus or to discriminate against Plaintiffs for their perceived ideology, opinion or perspective. Let me be clear about something. The evidence of David Cougle's retaliatory animus and discriminatory purpose was strong. There is evidence that Mr. Cougle co-founded and helped to lead the St. Tammany Parish Library Accountability Project before he was elected to the parish council. That group led a campaign against the Plaintiffs in their role as library board members, which included labeling them with terms like groomers, predators, threats to children, other names. There is no evidence in the record offered by either side to justify Mr. Cougle or the Library Accountability Project using such vitriolic language to describe the unpaid, volunteer public service that these Plaintiffs provided to the parish.“

December 5

• The Fifth Circuit holds a hearing on appeal in the case of the previous library board members.

December 9

• The new LBOC meets and reviews The Hate U Give. One board member goes on a rant during the discussion. She later resigns, citing family reasons.
  • It was stated during the meeting that the book was kept in the adult section because it sent the wrong message, not because of the one line on one page containing sexual content.

- 2025 -

February 6

• The Parish Council changes the LBOC nomination to allow appointment of two board members. Branton and Thanars are appointed.
  • While Thanars was Jimmy Strickland’s nomination and likely a quality board appointee, Branton is affiliated with the Accountability Project. 
  • The way in which two positions were created was deceptive. It efficiently eliminated a round of board nominations and led to Branton being appointed without proper opposition.

February 10

• The Fifth Circuit dismisses the previous board members' appeal in their case against the Parish Council and David Cougle, saying that the plaintiffs did not have “standing” to file their claim.

February 18

• Parish Council member David Cougle posts "epic loss" letter on the door of a public building regarding the outcome of the lawsuit filed by the previous board members.

February 24

• Chuck Branton introduces several last-minute LBOC resolutions, many of which are deemed legally questionable. Most of these resolutions focus on restricting books.  
  • Two pass:
    • the procedure for getting an agenda item on the LBOC agenda 
    • the allowance for the library to use 'other outside resources' to evaluate challenged books

March 5

• Judge Long dismisses the claims of the previous board members for lack of subject matter jurisdiction in accordance with the opinion and judgment of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Neither the District Court nor the Court of Appeals ever delivered a final ruling on either the original claims or the defendants’ claims of legislative privilege because the Court of Appeal ordered dismissal of the case based on what they said was the lack of standing to file.
• The new library board remains seated.

March 6

• The Parish Council blocks Strickland's off the floor agenda item to express support for the library millage.
• The Parish council thanks Belknap for his service on the board. No thanks have ever been given to the previously fired board.

March 29

• The reduced Library Millage is voted on by the public, with 55% of voters voting YES on the renewal! Read The Alliance's official statement here.