Chinchillas and checkbooks
Part One: The Chinchilla Meets the Police Jury
This is some of the groundwork behind my latest findings. There will be more to come soon.
At first glance, a chinchilla rescue group and the Ouachita Parish Police Jury do not seem like they would have much in common.
One rescues small animals. The other oversees millions of taxpayer dollars.
But after spending time digging through public records, leadership lists, and ARPA funding approvals connected to several organizations in Ouachita Parish, a pattern starts to appear. The same small group of people shows up again and again across nonprofits, businesses, and public funding decisions.
One example is Ross Slacks, who is listed as the organization leader for the Ouachita African American Historical Society, the nonprofit connected to the African American Museum in Monroe.
But that is not the only place his name appears.
Public filings show he also serves as:
• A Director of the Little Theatre of Monroe
• The Vice President of the NELA Music Association
• And an officer with NELA Chinchilla Rescue
Yes… a chinchilla rescue.
That last one might make you pause for a second.
Of course, being involved in multiple community organizations is not unusual. Many people volunteer their time in different places. But it does highlight something about the local nonprofit landscape. The same individuals often appear across several organizations.
And when federal funding starts flowing into that ecosystem, those connections become more relevant.
ARPA Funding and the Police Jury
Records from the Ouachita Parish Police Jury (OPPJ) show that several organizations connected to this network either received or were considered for funding through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Some examples include the following.
Ouachita African American Historical Society / Museum
• $59,416 Economic Hardship Project
• $199,000 Community Programming initiative
The hardship project motion was proposed by Police Juror Lonnie Hudson and seconded by Juror Larry Bratton.
Northeast Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce
• Up to $250,000 in ARPA funding for workforce development.
That motion was proposed by Police Juror Michael Thompson and seconded by Lonnie Hudson.
Audit records later show that corrective action was recommended in May 2024 related to the organization.
Police Jury minutes from a July 24, 2023 special meeting show a motion approving the vetting of an NAACP financial hardship project for ARPA funding.
That motion was proposed by Lonnie Hudson and seconded by Michael Thompson.
The minutes do not list a dollar amount or additional details about the project.
Looking through the meeting minutes, another pattern begins to stand out.
In several cases:
• Lonnie Hudson and Michael Thompson appear to take the lead in proposing or advancing ARPA related initiatives
• Larry Bratton frequently provides the second needed to move the item to a vote
This same sponsorship pattern appears across several community related projects, including those connected to:
• The African American Historical Society
• The NAACP
• The Northeast Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce
• The Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC)
• The Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation
When Leadership Overlaps
There are also examples where leadership roles overlap between government and organizations receiving public funds.
For example, Michael Thomas serves as a District D Police Juror while also appearing associated with leadership connected to the Northeast Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce, which later received up to $250,000 in ARPA funding.
Situations like this naturally raise questions about conflict of interest safeguards, recusal policies, and oversight procedures when taxpayer money is involved.
Shared Addresses and Organizational Hubs
Another detail appears when reviewing Secretary of State filings.
Several nonprofits, foundations, and private companies connected to this network appear to be registered or managed from the same small group of addresses across Monroe and West Monroe.
For example:
(Redacted) Glenwood Drive, Monroe
This residential address appears repeatedly in filings connected to Kenya Roberson and several organizations tied to the regional chamber network. Entities connected to this location include the Northeast Louisiana Chamber of Commerce and related nonprofit and business organizations.
(Redacted) Music Road, Monroe
Multiple organizations associated with Sonya and Ivory Jacobs list this residential address as their business location, including consulting businesses and nonprofit initiatives.
It is not uncommon for nonprofits or small businesses to share office space or administrative services. Still, when several organizations tied to the same leadership network operate from a small number of locations and intersect with public officials and federal funding, it naturally draws closer attention.
None of these connections alone prove wrongdoing.
However, taken together they show a very interconnected civic network where a relatively small group of individuals appears repeatedly across nonprofit leadership, community initiatives, and public funding decisions.
When federal relief funds are part of the picture, transparency matters.
Because whether the topic is economic recovery, workforce development, or even a chinchilla rescue, the public deserves to understand how decisions about taxpayer money are made.
Disclaimer:
The AI generated chinchilla graphic included with this article is intended as satire and humor and does not represent or depict any specific induvial>
