A Shreveport woman is suing the City of Shreveport and its police department, claiming she was wrongfully arrested and had her rights violated earlier this year.

KSLA reports that Calvinitri White was taken into custody in July on charges of child neglect after police discovered roaches in her apartment during a domestic disturbance call. The charges were dropped a few days later when the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office confirmed White had repeatedly asked her apartment management to address the pest problem.

White’s attorney, Malik Shabazz, said the arrest never should have happened.

“Ms. White did not deserve this excessive and harsh result, which violated her humanity and crushed her 4th and 14th Amendment rights,” he said. “I would hate to think that in 2025, Shreveport, Louisiana police still have not overcome discriminatory policing that would lead them to falsely arrest a Black woman for having a pest control problem in the home with her children.”

He added that the arresting officer, police department, and property management company all share responsibility for the “shameful and harmful” outcome.

The group Humanity 2020, which has supported White through the ordeal, also released a statement calling for accountability. They said the unsafe conditions in White’s apartment were “due to no fault of her own” and that “this case demands urgent scrutiny of law enforcement misconduct.”