Opponents of Louisiana casino hold prayer vigil

Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002 | 11:22 a.m.

LOGANSPORT, La. -- Opponents of a casino proposed by the Jena Band of Choctaws held a prayer vigil on the edge of the property the tribe is eyeing as a possible construction site.

Mansfield High School football coach Dale Morvan, a native of Logansport, stood with about 150 other people from throughout DeSoto Parish to pray that its 11 police jurors vote against supporting the casino during a special meeting scheduled for Friday.

Some stood, others sat in plastic chairs on a dusty incline along U.S. Highway 84 just shy of a 53.8-acre plot where the Jena Band of Choctaws is looking to build the proposed casino.

"This community needs jobs," Morvan said. "We need a lot of things, but we don't need this."

But less than two miles away at a Logansport gas station, clerk Valerie Powell said most of the talk she's heard from customers centers on the jobs the casino could bring. Many are mindful that the town's largest employer, Louisiana Pacific, has announced its intention to shut down should a new owner not take over.

"I've not heard one person say they want the casino because of the gambling," Powell said.

The Jena Band of Choctaws has said it wants a vote of support from the Police Jury before continuing with its plans. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Interior rejected a compact the tribe signed with the state to build a casino in Vinton in Calcasieu Parish.