Shreveporters have been asking their city council for more community input on drawing the city's new districts. Council members finally gave a chance for input Thursday. Dozens of Shreveport citizens showed at the public redistricting meeting. Council members sat by as cartographer Dr. Gary Joiner, the man in charge of drawing the new district lines, informed citizens on why the changes are needed. Joiner then turned the table and encouraged questions. Some were raised about minority districts losing power, which council members claim isn't true. The new district maps create 4 black or minority districts and 3 white or majority districts. As for getting more blacks on the city council, both several citizens and council members called for more minorities to vote or run in an election. However, many people just expressed general concerns...

"I am very concerned because the proposed changes could, the ones that they have here, all of them except for one could move me into a different district," District G member Gwen Phelps said.

Council members say they hope to vote on the new district map by the end of the year.