24-hour curfew in bad Arkansas neighborhood

[IDrinkaRum]

Arkansas Town with a 24-hour curfew in their worst neighborhood

City Council voted 9-0 to allow police into any part of the city that they feel is a threat. So far, they have arrested 32 people. The ACLU is saying it's unconstitutional. Mayor says people can sue if they like. BTW, 10 of the arrests had felony charges, i.e., drugs & weapons.

[Greenday]

Must be one BAD area to get this. And it's not like it was one person's decision. The city council unanimously voted for the 24-hour curfew. Also, if you have legit business, the cops aren't going to give you more trouble than asking what you're doing. You won't be arrested for going to work. Seems like the only ones that will really have trouble because of this are those committing crimes.

[Flyndaran]

Sooo, if you're innocent then you have need to fear losing your rights?

[Pedersen]

Seems like the only ones that will really have trouble because of this are those committing crimes.

Or anybody who would like to go stargazing.

Or anybody who prefers the night for walking (like me).

I'm sure I can find a few other examples. These are examples of people who can, and will, be harassed while doing nothing illegal other than being outside.

I agree with the motive of the city council. But heavily disagree with their response to the issue.

[Greenday]

Or anybody who would like to go stargazing.

Or anybody who prefers the night for walking (like me).

It doesn't sound like anyone thinks it's even safe enough to do these things so I don't see anyone being bothered for that. I mean, people are sleeping on the floors so they don't get shot by stray bullets. If you don't feel safe sleeping on a bed, there's no way you feel safe strolling the neighborhood.

[Flyndaran]

It doesn't sound like anyone thinks it's even safe enough to do these things so I don't see anyone being bothered for that. I mean, people are sleeping on the floors so they don't get shot by stray bullets. If you don't feel safe sleeping on a bed, there's no way you feel safe strolling the neighborhood.

So I should get harrassed by cops and have my right violated, because most people wouldn't have the guts/idiocy to go outside?
I thought civil liberties weren't a sometime thing.

[Greenday]

So I should get harrassed by cops and have my right violated, because most people wouldn't have the guts/idiocy to go outside?
I thought civil liberties weren't a sometime thing.

Interesting word semantics. You say harassed. I say questioned. One violates rights. The other does not. Based on this article, it only seems that people are asked what they are doing out, and if they have legit business, they are allowed to be on there way. If they are doing something they shouldn't be, then proper action is taken.

[Flyndaran]

Interesting word semantics. You say harassed. I say questioned. One violates rights. The other does not. Based on this article, it only seems that people are asked what they are doing out, and if they have legit business, they are allowed to be on there way. If they are doing something they shouldn't be, then proper action is taken.

It is my right to not talk to anyone on my walks unless given a legitimate reason. Bothering me to defend my RIGHT to walk down a public street is harrassment. The kind of B.S is used as an excuse to harrass minorities all the time.
I don't like big brother in any form.
Semi-OT: Getting questioned by any stranger with a gun and the right to shoot me with near impugnity is stressful for any sane person.

[Pedersen]

Interesting word semantics. You say harassed. I say questioned. One violates rights. The other does not. Based on this article, it only seems that people are asked what they are doing out, and if they have legit business, they are allowed to be on there way. If they are doing something they shouldn't be, then proper action is taken.

Not too much on the semantics side. After all, I'm talking about someone who is walking for the sake of walking. They're not trying to get to a specific location. They're not trying to get something done (other than maybe some exercise).

They're simply walking. Now, what cop will accept that as an answer in a neighborhood like this? Say hello to harassment!

[kibbles]

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."

This has to be the most bone headed quote ever. No one has business being out on the street at 3 in the morning? Ummm..excuse me; but, what gives him the right to say what anyone else has business to do?

[AFPheonix]

They couldn't come up with a better way to police the area than tactics that don't work beyond the short term as evidenced by Iraq and the West Bank? Seriously?

That DA is right. They may be trying to clean up, but this method is not going to be sound in the courts and the council and cops know it. I commend them for trying to fix the problem, but they are going to have to do it the right way, and that includes long-term fixes along with short-term increases in police presence on the beat. All they need to do is to look to how New York has really cleaned up Harlem and other crappy neighborhoods and reduced crime.

[Greenday]

I don't like big brother in any form.

At some point, I do like big brother. If you have nothing to hide, a cop asking you what you are doing is no big deal.

It'd be one thing if it was the Strip in Las Vegas or Times Square in NY. People ordinarily walk around as it is. This town/city sounds like no one goes for walks. People sleep on their floors because they fear getting shot if they are any higher up. The only kinds of places where this happens is where there is tons of crime.

This is an excuse for racism? Please. You know why you don't hear about it happening to middle class suburbs? Because middle class suburbia doesn't have crime problems out of control. If a middle class suburb had uncontrollable crime, they'd do the same thing there. It's all based on where it happens, and because there is no need for it in middle class suburbia, no one sees these kinds of things happening there. They see nothing, and make up all sorts of excuses such as racism for why towns where crime isn't out of control don't take drastic measures like you see in towns where crime is out of control.

[AFPheonix]

I'm sorry, but there are laws regulating what police can do to the public for a reason. It is entirely too easy for a group in authority to abuse that authority, and for the populace to roll over and say, "oh, well they'll only do X if the person deserves it. If they had nothing to hide, they'd be fine" is part of the problem. The police and government work FOR us. They do not rule over us.
Here's a perfect example of why the populace has to be aware of potential police indiscretions. If this can happen to a Mayor of a wealthy town, how much more can it happen to someone that those of us in our insular lives would consider scum?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/07/...ant/index.html

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=402544
Is an interesting thread over a group of photos by Jacob Holdt. I find it to be germaine to this discussion.

[Sylvia727]

"As far as I'm concerned, at 3 o'clock in the morning, nobody has any business being on the street, except the law,"

Bullshit. I sleep all day and work all night. Just because I don't fit into his narrow view of "acceptable behavior" is no reason to villainize me. If I want to wander the streets at 3 AM, that's my business. Sure, I might get mugged, raped, or killed, but I'm a big girl and I can take big girl risks. It's none of his business what business I'm up to.

If you have nothing to hide, a cop asking you what you are doing is no big deal.

Just because I have nothing to hide doesn't mean I have to show the police my nothing. It's a control issue; the police are trying to control the residents of this neighborhood, which is blatantly unConstitutional.

Also, I'm afraid of cops. Many of them are bullies and thugs. Most of them are not, but I'm not taking my chances. If a cop stops me for no good reason, I'll be anxious. And according to the article, nervous people warrant extra attention. I know I'm innocent, but I don't know that the cop questioning me is, especially if he's operating under the pre-conceived notion that any individual out and about in this neighborhood is a suspicious character.

What a beautifully mucked up state of affairs, where the liberties of all are sacrificed to compensate for the inadequecies of the police.

[Boozy]

Every time I hear someone say "If you have nothing to hide, it shouldn't matter", I shudder.

Such an attitude is the death of civil liberties. But I guess that if good, honest people don't speak up because they're afraid of crime, then they don't deserve to be free.