Calvinitri White, a Louisiana mom of three, spent six days in jail on child neglect charges after Shreveport police, called for a different issue, discovered roaches in her apartment.
Fortunately, the charges were dropped once she proved her repeated, unsuccessful attempts to get apartment management to handle the infestation. However, Village Square Apartments in Shreveport is trying to evict the 26-year-old, stating that it won’t accept her rent.
Now, White’s lawyer, Malik Shabazz, is preparing to sue the police, the city, and the apartment complex if they don’t settle.
“We are pursuing legal action on her behalf against the city of Shreveport, against the Shreveport Police Department, and against the individual officer in this action because Ms. Calvinitri White should never have been arrested,” Shabazz said during a press conference with KSLA News.
“To make matters worse, the apartment complex had received many requests from Ms. White to address the pest control problem, and they failed to do that, so we’re holding the apartment complex accountable.”
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White is still grappling with the aftermath of her unlawful arrest, especially since she had formally requested the apartment complex to address the roach infestation three times in January and April. This issue was brought up during her online press conference, which coincided with an eviction court hearing.
“We had a shelter over our head,” she said emotionally. “It’s not what we wanted ideally, but it’s not as if I was just sitting there trying not to move or do anything.”
“But the officer took advantage of the situation, joked about my situation, and I just feel like that’s very unfair,” White continued. “None of that treatment I deserved. I didn’t deserve it. My kids didn’t deserve it.”
It all began on July 5, when White was arrested because Shreveport police had to break up an argument over a PlayStation. When the officers showed up at her apartment, they apparently saw some “unsafe and unsanitary conditions.” This all went down in a city that’s no stranger to some pretty controversial policing, the Atlanta Black Stars noted.
Upon entering the apartment, officers discovered three young children—ages 4, 3, and 1—residing with their mother, White. The apartment was found to be severely infested with cockroaches, observed on nearly every surface, including furniture, kitchen cabinets, and inside the refrigerator. Roaches were also seen emerging from holes in the walls, further compromising the environment’s health and safety.
After being jailed for six days, the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office subsequently dismissed the charges against her after they learned she had attempted to address the infestation but her pleas were ignored by the apartment complex.
“We were provided proof that Ms. White, an employed single mother of three small children, submitted three requests for service in the year 2025 to her apartment management, regarding insect problems inside the apartment,” Caddo Parish District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr. said in a statement to local media.
“No drugs or firearms were found inside the apartment, nor any injuries on the children.”
White was embarrassed by both the arrest and what the media reported.
“Everything that has happened to me is through no fault of my own,” White said during the press conference.
“And I feel that if I did the proper steps as a tenant to do what I was supposed to do and report everything that I was supposed to report, then I should not have been wrongfully jailed, I should not have been lied on by the officer and I should not have been put in the media.”
After being released from jail on July 11, White posted the following on her Facebook page.
“To be accused of neglecting my children, when I’ve often neglected myself just to make sure all their needs and even their wishes are met, is not only insulting — it’s defamation of my character and does not reflect who I am as a mother. If you know me and my babies in real life, you know the truth: they are well-fed, joyful, and beautifully groomed. I believe in not looking like what you’re going through. No matter how hard things get, I make sure the world sees sunshine on our faces — never the storm behind it.
“Since the day my first child was born, I’ve never been away from them for more than 5–6 hours a day — and that’s only ever been for work. I don’t smoke, drink, or party. I’ve only ever been focused on building a better life.
“Six years ago, I earned my Property & Casualty Insurance license in all 50 states, then went on to obtain my Life & Health Insurance license. I currently work part-time while being a full-time mom, pursuing my Mortgage Loan Officer license, and managing the daily pressures of life.”
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She concluded, “I might make it look easy — but it hasn’t been. With God, I stay strong. But the weight has broken me down in tears many times, trying desperately to change my circumstances with little to no support. I’ve cried out to management at my apartment complex, to housing assistance programs, to Love Shreveport-Bossier, Catholic Charities, Providence House, and even the City of Shreveport itself. I’ve attempted to move, only to have deposits taken and time wasted by landlords and complexes — all while trying to keep up with replacing stolen or lost items pots, pans, clothes, and dining supplies.”
The post garnered over 1,000 reactions and more than 300 comments. The majority of these comments were supportive, with at least one individual acknowledging they had initially misjudged White after only hearing the police’s account of the incident.
She shared a photo on Facebook of an eviction notice from her apartment complex, which stated, “I cannot accept your rent,” but offered no further explanation.
She is currently in court, challenging the eviction, and awaits a judge’s decision.
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