Councilman Craig Mathews, right, speaks at Wednesday’s St. Mary Parish Council meeting.

FRANKLIN — St. Mary Parish Councilman J Ina called for parish communities to come together following a series of violent crimes in the area at Wednesday’s Parish Council meeting.

Ina referred to a Tuesday night incident in the Franklin area where shots were fired in the area of West Third Street and Iberia Street. The incident resulted in a victim sustaining non-life threatening injuries.

Ina said he had spoken with Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard regarding the matter, and was galvanized to speak at the meeting regarding the matter.

“It’s ridiculous with all the gun violence on the streets,” Ina said. “We need to pull together as a community. Don’t turn a blind eye, let’s make sure we’re being diligent as citizens.”

Ina advised local residents to not be silent if they see something suspicious or illegal in the community.

“It’s disturbing to me,” he said. “Let’s pull together and do what we can to help deter this, be a good neighbor.”

In other business, Councilman Craig Mathews asked about the status of helping parish residents with bear protection during the summer months.

Mathews said he had received complaints from elderly residents who have had problems with bears sifting through garbage cans recently in the area.

“We have a little old lady saying her back is hurting because she has a bear that turns it over every Tuesday and Friday,” Mathews said.

Chief Administrative Officer Bo LaGrange said the matter would be taken care of the parish administration’s office.

“We’ll see what we can do to assist her,” he said.