Arkansas town in lockdown

micfranklin · 08-13-2008, 04:28 PM

Quote:

HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. - 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.

Crime-ridden Arkansas town expands 24-hour curfew - Yahoo! News

I like how they say they're not violating the Constitutional rights and still force 24-hour curfews on everyone. They just killed their own credibility by using that line.

viLky · 08-13-2008, 05:12 PM

I agree with the lockdown in this situation because if your town is in the gutter with all this crime, then something needs to be done. A curfew with more officers is a good start.

Nightsurfer · 08-13-2008, 05:14 PM

That's nuts, and people thought Sheriff Joe from AZ was a hard ****.But it just might be what that city needs to get rid of the crime and violence. I'm glad that I don't live there.

If this works I can see other cities trying this. In todays world you never know.