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January 29, 1931 ~ May 20, 2024

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, May 23, 2024 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Jewitt Paul Hulin, 93, who died Monday, May 20, 2024 at his residence in Maurice, Louisiana. He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Reverend Nicholas DuPre' officiating the services.
Born January 29, 1931 in Henry, Louisiana, Jewitt descended from one of the early pioneer families of the area known as Prairie Gregg in Vermilion Parish and continued until his death to live for his family, land, and cattle.
After devoting 30 years to parish administration as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Vermilion Parish Police Jury, he continued to operate an extensive commercial cattle operation and served on seven of the Parish’s Drainage District Boards, the Abbeville General Hospital Board, and the Teche-Vermilion Water District Board. He was a past member of the Vermilion Parish Cattlemen’s Association and American Brahman Breeders Association.
Jewitt is survived by his wife, Ella Bergeron Hulin of Maurice; children, Paul W. Hulin and his wife, Jodi Nunez of Maurice, Charles “Leo” Hulin and his wife, Christy Ferreri of Austin, TX., and the Honorable Judge Laurie A. Hulin and her husband, Shane Langlinais of Abbeville; grandchildren, Jacques P. Hulin, Joshua M. Ditch and his wife, Jayde Mayard, Ella E. Hulin, Brenan C. Hulin, and Hulin M. Langlinais; great-grandchildren, Jack M. Ditch and Joah M. Ditch; and sister, Judy Hulin Dubois of Church Point.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Willis Hulin and the former Annese Broussard.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. with a rosary being prayed at 7 p.m.; Thursday, May 23, 2024 from 8 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. when the procession will depart for the church.
The family gives special thanks to Anita Hopkins, Juanita Davis, Todd Marceaux, Larry Marceaux, the paramedics of Acadian Ambulance, and deputies from the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.

If you want to witness political favoritism and inside political wheeling and dealing at its worst, just witness the mess that has been created by the legislature as well as federal judges in Louisiana. Dysfunctional politics is about the best way to describe what is happening in the legally required process of reapportioning congressional districts in the Bayou state.
The legislature, by federal law, has to reapportion each congressional district every 10 years. It makes sense, because populations change, and each congressional district should be evenly balanced. So the ball was thrown to the Louisiana legislature and the new governor to come up with a reapportionment plan to take place in the fall elections. And boy did everyone in the process make a mess of the whole effort.
The legislative struggle apparently had two priorities. One to protect current congressmen so they can be easily re-elected. But with one exception. The governor has had a falling out with Republican congressman Garrett Graves, whose district is centered in the Baton Rouge area. Under the guise of creating a new minority district, the legislature shaped a new territory that meanders all over the state and presents an uphill fight for Graves to be reelected.
A three judge federal panel voted two to one to throw out the new reapportionment proposal, saying it was drawn strictly to create a minority district. The judges were right. What the legislature did was to create a district that connected predominantly black neighborhoods in and around Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria, Natchitoches, and Shreveport. It’s dead wrong to have a district that winds like a snake all over the state.
As syndicated columnist Quinn Hiller wrote this week: “For decades, courts have ruled, with good reason, that district shapes should be reasonably compact, and contiguous, except to take into account geographical features, such as rivers or mountain ranges, and the districts, where possible, should not divide natural “communities of interest” such as common cultural heritage, or shaped economic bases.”
Having run in statewide elections on six different occasions, I know from personal experience that voters in northeast Louisiana often have different views on a variety of state issues compared to voters in Cajun country. New Orleans is a world all of its own. Each area of the state should be able to elect a congressman who reflects and votes the views of people that have some common interest. Right now, that’s not the case in the Bayou state.
And just who is the minority that needs to be represented anyway? African-Americans make up approximately 30% of the state’s population. The fastest growing population groups in the state are Hispanics and citizens with a Vietnamese background. Should they not have some type of representation as a group? Should legislators be allowed to draw congressional districts that twist like a snake all across the state?
Here’s what we have in Louisiana right now. In elections, people choose their legislators. But because of how reapportionment has worked, legislators choose their voters or choose the voters for their favorite congressman.
Just what are the alternatives? What are other progressive states doing to transfer the power of redistricting to a system less driven by self-interest? Fourteen states have assigned the task to officials or panels outside the state legislature. And independent redistricting wears the cloak of good-government reform, as long as a consensus can be built on just who will serve on such panels.
One idea would be to create a Louisiana Fair Reapportionment Practices Commission. Let nominations for its members come from the legislature, the Supreme Court, the good government groups like PAR and CABL, the various college boards, and perhaps a key business group or two. Then put all the submissions in a hat, and draw out eleven names to serve as members to begin their work right after the new census data is made available.
The goal for such a commission is simple – put the important issue of redistricting into the hands of less vested interests instead of those who in the past have been allowed to define the terms of their own cartel. Simply put, it’s just wrong for legislators to draw these districts and then run in them. There needs to be a better way.

Peace and Justice
Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com. You can also listen to his weekly podcast at www.datelinelouisiana.com.

Over the past few years, the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness has increased in Abbeville and Vermilion Parish. 
Unfortunately, no homeless shelters or other facilities in our parish can provide temporary housing for our neighbors in need.
Close to 30% of people who are experiencing homelessness have some form of behavioral health disorder. This often results in their inability to work, but many are able to receive disability income. The income from social security disability is relatively low, and affordable housing is limited. However, the biggest hurdle for many people is the move-in cost, including rental and utility deposits. A typical household can expect to pay between $300-$1000 at the time of move-in.
Seeing the growing need in our community, a group of concerned individuals from Abbeville have formed Restoration House. 
“The mission of Restoration House is to offer housing to men and women suffering from behavioral health issues and who are currently experiencing homelessness in Vermilion Parish,” said St. Paul’s  Episcopal Church’s Mother Madge McLain, who serves on the board.
Restoration House accomplishes this mission by partnering with rental property owners in Abbeville to secure safe, decent housing that is appropriate for the household. Then Restoration House pays the rental and utility deposits and other move-in costs on behalf of the household and provides some essential household items and furniture. With a relatively small amount of financial assistance during move-in, many people are able to leave homelessness (or avoid it entirely!) and remain stably housed for years. The Restoration House team can then provide on-going case management and emotional support, as needed, to help the household maintain their housing.
As a result of this successful model, Restoration House has assisted five households with stable housing in the 18 months since the organization’s inception. These households are no longer homeless but have been restored as our neighbors, with safe, dignified places to live in Abbeville.
“We also recently added a transitional home for women and children,” McLain said. “This allows us to offer emergency housing instead of paying for hotel rooms. Families stay in this home until we find something more permanent.”
If you’d like to help Restoration House continue to restore the lives of neighbors who have fallen on hard times, your donation may be sent to Restoration House, 100 W. Vermilion St, Abbeville, La. 70510. Property owners interested in partnering with Restoration House or those seeking additional information may call Mother Madge McClain at 337-893-3195