The St. Landry Parish Council is making a formal request to Attorney General Liz Murrill for her opinion on whether the state’s law banning cockfighting is unconstitutional. It comes as several in the parish are pushing to make it legal there once again. Nadea Comeaux says cockfighting, which had a history in the parish, would bring in much-needed revenue.
“You need to educate people on what cockfighting is about. If you leave them in a yard, they’re gonna fight to the death of them, regardless, if no one is there or not. Why not capitalize on some of these things?” Comeaux asked.
Comeaux argued before the council that cockfighting is, in her opinion, wholesome entertainment.
“You see men. This is a man’s sport. These are respectable men. You see women and children. They’ve got potlucks, they’re feeding everyone. There are no drugs, there are no guns, nothing involved in that,” Comeaux explained.
It is a federal crime to attend an animal fighting event, and cockfighting is illegal at the state level in all 50 states, with Louisiana the last state to outlaw it in 2008. Jim Demoruelle told the council that laws mean nothing to those who stage cockfights.
“There is no place in the world, no place, where cockfighting ever stopped because the law was passed against it, Demoruelle said.
Jeff Dorson, the director of the Humane Society of Louisiana, said prior to the meeting that reinstating cockfighting would be a horrible idea, as it would promote cruelty at a time when the world has seen enough of it.
The council also voted on a resolution to contact State Representative Dustin Miller to introduce a bill to repeal or modify Louisiana’s cockfighting ban. The resolution failed on a vote of 7-to-6, with Council Chairman Wayne Ardoin casting the tiebreaking vote.