PLAQUEMINES PARISH, La. — The Plaquemines Parish Council unanimously passed a resolution to renamed the Judge Perez Bridge to the Belle Chase Bridge.
The resolution, introduced by Council Chairman Carlton LaFrance, authorized Parish President Kirk Lepine to formally request that the Louisiana Legislature change the bridge’s name.
In a letter sent to legislators, Lepine said that “Perez’s actions are not in keeping with the parish’s values or the appreciation for the diverse and multi-cultural communities throughout Plaquemines Parish.”
The Judge Perez Bridge is named for Leander Perez, a former Plaquemines Parish President, who was a prominent segregationist who fought against major legal decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education.
Now, the decision to rename the Judge Perez Bridge is in the hands of the Louisiana Legislature.