Crime-ridden Arkansas town expands 24-hour curfew

[Silverback]

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.

Full Story

[Silverback]

The title should read

"America's civil liberties under attack"

[K.Ingraham]

To paraphrase Ben Franklin: "Those who abandon essential liberties to achieve convenience or safety deserve neither".

[Silverback]

To paraphrase Ben Franklin: "Those who abandon essential liberties to achieve convenience or safety deserve neither".

It bothers me that politicians can "vote in" a curfew! I understand the need for safety and security, but being locked down is not an option!

[K.Ingraham]

To paraphrase Ben Franklin: "Those who abandon essential liberties to achieve convenience or safety deserve neither".

It bothers me that politicians can "vote in" a curfew! I understand the need for safety and security, but being locked down is not an option!

Agreed! Having worked for small town part time politicos, I find it especially scary. While I sympathize with their sentiments, a little 20th Century policing, with all that constitutional 'hinderence', can work wonders, as it did right here in Binghamton.

[RTO]

I'm surprised Jesse Jackson is not there yet....

[another damn texan]

Yes this is bullshit and unconstitutional. I'm just really pleased to not see anybody on here saying basically, "yeah whatever it takes". Amazing to me that you have to have the ACLU to tell a city govt. what is constitutional.


"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."


What a douche. I'm sure if he is out past 3 he'll feel differently. The Constitution protects everybody. These people need to go back and re-examine the Constitution and Bill of Rights.[/b]

[LRP1]

Oh, I thing everyone should spend a week in Helena-West Helena. Would open your eyes to a lot of BS.

[RGR_Dan]

Remember this is the media spin on what is going on there.

I would equate this to a full court press on the bad guys.

The problem is 2 fold

1. Crime is now being displaced somewhere else.
2. Uninvolved people who know absolutely nothing about living in the hood are gonna swoop in and tell the citizens they are being mistreated. Lawsuits will fly and it'll go back to being a drug ridden shit hole because some shithead knows what is best for them.