LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– The community rallied together in large numbers to the South Regional Library to show their support for librarian manager, Cara Chance, whose job lay in the hands of The Library Board of Control. Chance has been very open about censorship, and her supporters believe she is being targeted for being outspoken. 

Lynette Mejía, the Founder of Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship, described what Chance means to the community as a librarian manager at the North Regional Branch in Carencro.

“Cara is a beloved Librarian, and she has made an impact not just within the library itself but with families, school children. Generations of people have come through the doors of her library and enjoyed her programming, and they remember that,” said Mejía.  

William Veillon also attended the meeting and said, “I’m incredibly impressed at this local community for coming to stand up for one of its librarian members.”

In light of the overflowing support for Cara Chance, the Library Board of Control pushed discussion of Chance’s employment status to next month in a private discussion.

“The meeting itself was an absolute travesty. Once seeing the overwhelming support and then their mission was it to fire her wasn’t going to go through as planned they tried to short change this meeting,” said Veillon.

“It’s actually very scary to think that in a democratic society, we come to this place where people are threatened with losing their jobs,” said Melanie Brevis, Co-Founder of Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship. “She has expressed her opinions at meetings. She has done so in a very respectful manner. She backed everything that she had said with facts. So this is Retaliation, pure and simple, and it cannot stand.”

Although the meeting is pushed back, many fear what would be the future if the board is allowed to take Chance’s job.

“It is scary to think that if they do this and go through with it, what’s next? Who’s next on their list?” said Brevis.

“Show support for your local library system and please come out and speak your mind. We need people here to tell this library board that they do not represent this community,” said Veillon.