Attorneys for an affordable housing developer suing the city of New Orleans claim they have evidence that City Councilmember Freddie King had “discriminatory intent” when he moved to block a proposed 278-unit apartment complex near his West Bank home.

In a Thursday court filing, the developer, Xinhong Zhang of Stanton Square, LLC, submitted a series of text messages between King and a friend sent hours after the council unanimously voted against adopting a zoning measure that would have allowed the complex to move forward. In the messages, King said he voted to reject the development because he did not want “dread heads and bonnet wear fools next to me.”