EUNICE, La. (KLFY) — Tenants of public housing in Eunice are furious after they were locked out of what was supposed to be a public meeting about their homes.

Angela Simien was among those who waited to join the meeting.

“They did not allow us to go in. We waited until the meeting was over. Still couldn’t go in,” Simien said.

The Eunice Housing Authority held a special board meeting Thursday to make amendments to leases and housing policies. One amendment was to change eviction warnings to eviction notices. Tenants were notified of the changes after the meeting.

According to the Sunshine Law, tenants should have been allowed in.

Angelia Guillory, executive director of the Eunice Housing Authority, said the Thursday meeting was a special board meeting.

“I clarified that before this meeting started on yesterday with Elvetra Gibbs from HUD, who did let me know that it was a special meeting and it was not open to the public,” Guillory said.

The Sunshie Law states all meetings of public entities, even special meetings, must be open to the public. Public entities can call for an executive session during the meeting, of which is private.

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Under the Open Meeting Law, the public should have been able to attend the meeting until an executive session was called. The law also reads that executive sessions can only be called to discuss legal matters.

Guillory claims the entire meeting was an executive session.

“Well, special board meetings, we call it special board meetings, but they are executive sessions. Our notices say special board meetings. Yes. And we are in executive session to discuss matters,” Guillory said.

News 10 informed Guillory that the housing authority broke the Open Meetings Law. Guillory said it was approved by her Housing and Urban Development director.

Guillory said tenants already started signing amendments to the lease and housing policies.

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