I am a resident of Abbeville, LA, and I have watched as our city has become increasingly unlivable. Crime rates continue to rise while our local government seems more focused on developing bike trails and superficial "Master Plans" than addressing this pressing issue. According to the FBI's 2019 Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, Louisiana has one of the highest crime rates in America with 537.5 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. According to City-Data.com, Abbeville itself has a crime rate worse than 89.4% of other US cities. This is not just a statistic; it's a reality that we live with every day in Abbeville. The Rails to Trails proposal would likely serve to export this reality to our safer, neighboring communities against the wishes and possibly even the rights of the landowners whose properties it will either travel across or adjacent to.

Our local government needs to prioritize safety and crime reduction, along with infrastructure investment, over recreational projects and proposed downtown country club districts. While these amenities may be beneficial for community health and tourism in the future, they should not take precedence over the needs of our citizens now. Citizens' needs such as safety, along with the maintenance and replacement of aging utility systems, must be prioritized.

Let us remind our elected officials that their primary responsibility is to protect their constituents' lives and property before anything else. Please sign this petition below if you believe that safety should be prioritized over Master Plans and Rails to Trails. 

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We the Undersigned Citizens and Property Owners of the City of Abbeville, La and the Parish of Vermilion request your consideration on the following:

Immediately cease all Activities and Applications on establishing the Rails To Trails Program and your Master Plan. We further request that this Petition be entered in the Minutes of the City Council Meeting.