Crime-ridden Arkansas town expands 24-hour curfew - Political Fever

Lumara · #1 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Crime-ridden Arkansas town expands 24-hour curfew

By JON GAMBRELL

HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. (AP) — Officers armed with military rifles have been stopping and questioning passers-by in a neighborhood plagued by violence that's been under a 24-hour curfew for a week.

On Tuesday, the Helena-West Helena City Council voted 9-0 to allow police to expand that program into any area of the city, despite a warning from a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas that the police stops were unconstitutional.

Police Chief Fred Fielder said the patrols have netted 32 arrests since they began last week in a 10-block neighborhood in this small town on the banks of the Mississippi River long troubled by poverty. The council said those living in the city want the random shootings and drug-fueled violence to stop, no matter what the cost.

"Now if somebody wants to sue us, they have an option to sue, but I'm fairly certain that a judge will see it the way the way the citizens see it here," Mayor James Valley said. "The citizens deserve peace, that some infringement on constitutional rights is OK and we have not violated anything as far as the Constitution."

The area under curfew, in what used to be a West Helena neighborhood, sits among abandoned homes and occupied residences in disrepair.

White signs on large blue barrels warn those passing by that the area remains under curfew by order of Mayor James Valley. The order was scheduled to end at 3 p.m. Tuesday, but Valley said the city council's vote would allow police to have the same powers across Helena-West Helena.

Among the curfew operation's arrests, 10 came from felony charges, including the arrest of two people carrying both drugs and weapons, Fielder said. The police chief said the officers in the field carry military-style M-16 or M-4 rifles, some equipped with laser sights. Other officers carry short-barrel shotguns. Many dealing crack cocaine and marijuana in the city carry pistols and AK-47 assault rifles, he said.

"We've had people call us, expressing concern for their children," Fielder said. "They had to sleep on the floor, because of stray bullets."

Fielder said officers had not arrested anyone for violating the curfew, only questioned people about why they were outside. Those without good answers or acting nervously get additional attention, Fielder said.

However, such stops likely violate residents' constitutional rights to freely assemble and protections against unreasonable police searches, said Holly Dickson, a lawyer for the ACLU of Arkansas who addressed the council at its packed Tuesday meeting. Because of that, Dickson said any convictions coming from the arrests likely would be overturned.

"The residents of these high-crime areas are already victims," she said. "They're victims of what are happening in the neighborhoods, they're victims of fear. But for them to be subject to unlawful stops and questioning ... that is not going to ultimately going to help this situation."

The council rejected Dickson's claims, at one point questioning the Little Rock-based attorney if she'd live in a neighborhood they described as under siege by wild gunfire and gangs.

"As far as I'm concerned, at 3 o'clock in the morning, nobody has any business being on the street, except the law," Councilman Eugene "Red" Johnson said. "Anyone out at 3 o'clock shouldn't be out on the street, unless you're going to the hospital."

The curfew is the second under the mayor's watch since the rival cities of Helena and West Helena merged in 2006. That year, Valley set a nightly citywide curfew after a rash of burglaries and other thefts.

Police in Hartford, Conn., began enforcing a nightly curfew for youths after recent violence, including a weekend shooting that killed a man and wounded six young people.

Helena-West Helena, with 15,000 residents at the edge of Arkansas' eastern rice fields and farmland, is in one of the nation's poorest regions, trailing even parts of Appalachia in its standard of living.

In the curfew area, those inside the homes in the watch area peered out of door cracks Tuesday as police cruisers passed. They closed the doors afterward.
The Associated Press: Crime-ridden Arkansas town expands 24-hour curfew

I'd place this in the "give an inch and they'll take a mile"category. First of all, I question the legality of imposing a 24-hour curfew on any American citizens in the first place, although I recognize that the people in this town are frustrated with the high crime rate and trying to find a solution. However, now they want to expand this program into ANY area of the city.

And who the heck does Councilman Eugene "Red" Johnson think he is, determining that no one has any business being out on the streets at 3:00am, Supreme Dictator? And the mayor believes some infringement of constitutional rights is OK in order to protect people? Is he too ignorant to realize the Constitution recognized individual rights order to protect people from government overstepping its bounds as it is doing in Helena?

If this town gets away with it, you'd better believe it won't stop there. And if this isn't totalitarian, I don't know what is. This is the direction our country is going in with Homeland Security and the Patriot Act. We can only hope that this is stopped before spreading any further.

Skerlnik · #2 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 05:21 PM

Hard for me to figure out how I feel about this.

On the one hand, if things are that bad there, and the PEOPLE are demanding this sort of action be taken, I think the government has a duty to respond to their wishes. The people certainly deserve a safe community, rather than (continued?) inaction.

On the other hand, I get what you're saying about liberties and freedoms, although I don't really agree with "slippery slope" exaggeration arguments.

All in all, a curfew isn't exactly torture, and they're not even arresting people, here. The bigger question is, what's up with all the violence, in the first place?

I guess we'll have to see how it develops, and whether the problem gets solved or merely exchanged for other problems.

malrenalds · #3 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 06:52 PM

If people are not smart enough to keep America safe without destroying what it is all about Grumble grumble.....

This just pisses me off. I miss America.

Skerlnik · #4 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malrenalds

If people are not smart enough to keep America safe without destroying what it is all about Grumble grumble.....

This just pisses me off. I miss America.

Oh, it's the same old argument about where the acceptable line is on the continuum between liberty and security. Nobody agrees where that line should be.

The sky isn't falling.

Space_Coyote · #5 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 07:21 PM

The next step will be an attempt to disarm the citizenry at large. Control movement, control armament, and you control the situation. "Temporary" security measures like this allowed Hitler and Castro to become tyrants, let's not try it here.

Skerlnik · #6 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 07:57 PM

And your suggestion for addressing that town's crime problem would be......?

Let's say you're Mayor....the floor is yours.

(I'm not saying I approve of the mayor's lockdown strategy, either, I just think since its so easy to shoot down everyone else's balloons, let's hear some actual suggestions from the peanut gallery, here......)

xjoe3x · #7 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 08:18 PM

A larger more well funded police force.
It does not really go into what crimes are going on.
What I can say is that a curfew is not the answer and "As far as I'm concerned, at 3 o'clock in the morning, nobody has any business being on the street, except the law," is complete bull****.

Space_Coyote · #8 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skerlnik

And your suggestion for addressing that town's crime problem would be......?

Let's say you're Mayor....the floor is yours.

(I'm not saying I approve of the mayor's lockdown strategy, either, I just think since its so easy to shoot down everyone else's balloons, let's hear some actual suggestions from the peanut gallery, here......)

Hire more competent police officers and detectives who can handle the situation. Clearly it isn't a manpower question, since they can apparently lock down ten city blocks with little effort, so it must be a quality problem. Offer police officers and detectives from cities of comparable demographics (but lower crime rates/higher closure rates) good benefits and higher pay than they current receive and replace the idiots you have working for you with decent cops.

If a cop responds to a crime quickly, and investigates properly, the perpetrator can usually be convicted if he is guilty, especially in crimes of passion.

Drakej · #9 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Space_Coyote

Hire more competent police officers and detectives who can handle the situation. Clearly it isn't a manpower question, since they can apparently lock down ten city blocks with little effort, so it must be a quality problem. Offer police officers and detectives from cities of comparable demographics (but lower crime rates/higher closure rates) good benefits and higher pay than they current receive and replace the idiots you have working for you with decent cops.

If a cop responds to a crime quickly, and investigates properly, the perpetrator can usually be convicted if he is guilty, especially in crimes of passion.

My thoughts exactly. If they can afford to post up all of these officers 24/7 then why don't they do something proactive instead of busting someones *** for walking their dog at 2am?

Criminals are not as stupid as some folks would like to beilve. Pretty soon dealers are gonna start charging an extra 15 or 20 bucks for you to shoot up and pass out in their backyard. They get to move their product and their customers stay out of jail.

Taking any kind of proactive role in this situation will help. Maybe try and inspire a little pride in the local populous instead of treating them like a suspect. I don't know about you guys, but I do not like being lumped in with the bottom rung of society just because I cant sleep at night, or I work nights.

Space_Coyote · #10 (**permalink**) 08-13-2008, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drakej

My thoughts exactly. If they can afford to post up all of these officers 24/7 then why don't they do something proactive instead of busting someones *** for walking their dog at 2am?

Criminals are not as stupid as some folks would like to beilve. Pretty soon dealers are gonna start charging an extra 15 or 20 bucks for you to shoot up and pass out in their backyard. They get to move their product and their customers stay out of jail.

Taking any kind of proactive role in this situation will help. Maybe try and inspire a little pride in the local populous instead of treating them like a suspect. I don't know about you guys, but I do not like being lumped in with the bottom rung of society just because I cant sleep at night, or I work nights.

Great minds sir, Great minds.

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