Residents of Modeste, Louisiana are raising the alarm about the potential destruction of historic and cultural sites in their community and have sent a letter to Hyundai with a deadline for assurances that sites and assets in the area will not be disturbed. Fear tore through the community last week when heavy equipment was observed on the Germania Plantation, a site that the state proposes to lease to Hyundai for a steel facility. “As the holidays approach, a heavy stillness settles over Modeste,” said Ashley Gaignard, President of Rural Roots Louisiana. “While families prepare to gather, we fear that powerful interests are quietly working to erase a major part of our community  – our land, our history, and our future. This silence is not peace, it is the pause before a feared loss. We refuse to let Modeste disappear without being seen, heard and defended.”

Hyundai issued a statement in the fall after the destruction of cabins on a proposed Hyundai site. After two historic cabins were destroyed on the site, Hyundai issued a statement affirming its commitment to historic and cultural preservation. Despite that commitment, heavy machinery has been moved near what archeologists have identified as a sugarmill stack.

“It’s horrible. It really is,” said Modeste resident and Rural Roots member Twila Collins. “My family has been here since the 1800s.  It’s important that we try to save as much of the history of Modeste that we can and not destroy it. Destroying the history is a way of wiping away the whole community. The history has always been a central part of Modeste. If you destroy that, you destroy everything.”

A letter was sent to Hyundai officials on Friday, December 19, asking that the company commit to not destroying or disturbing sites or cultural assets. “We are concerned that maybe they’ll do something over Christmas,” said Ms. Collins. “That would be tragic.”

Holidays are a time when communities near industrial expansion have experienced concerning activity. Rural Roots and Modeste residents seek to prevent problems over the holidays, and have  requested a reply from Hyundai by December 23rd at 10 am ET.  The letter was sent to Hyundai by lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Environmental Integrity Project.

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