Go home or go to jail Helena-West Helena Implements Curfew for All Ages

Source: Kevin Holmes, Eyewitness News Everywhere

Helena-West Helena, AR - Go home or go to jail! Those are the only two options for people living in one Mid-South neighborhood. The mayor of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas has issued a mandatory curfew. The curfew is in place for an area he refers to as a "hot spot" for crime. It applies to anyone, any age, and any time of day.

According to Mayor James Valley, this move is in the best interest of the city. Valley said, "This curfew is for all people...everyone is subject to be stopped - almost like marshal law.” And that's exactly what some are calling it. The mayor has issued a curfew for a neighborhood that extends about a mile - not too far from city hall. If you're caught outside without a good enough excuse, you're going to jail.

(snip)

But after several rapes, robberies and shootings, Mayor James Valley says he's exhausted all possibilities. And he says this is the best move to turn around what some are calling a rough area.

Mayor Valley said, "This turf belongs to taxpaying citizens, not to hustlers and drug dealers...We are going to pop them in the head."

The residents of this neighborhood aren't the only ones in uproar. Eyewitness News Everywhere has learned that the American Civil Liberties Union has sent a letter to the mayor claiming his curfew is a violation of the 1st, 4th and 14th amendments.

(snip)

Read more: http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=26fb4396-0109-40ed-aec7-48924ac4cd26

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I'm surprised this one is flying under the radar here at DU. Your thoughts?

and it's still not right.

that right is reserved solely to the governor of a state and to the President.

But it isn't my misspelling.

U.S. General George Marshall (of WW II fame) were in charge.

I'm certainly not a mayor, and I have no idea how to best deal with circumstances like this, but for all those who are complaining that it's wrong, what is your solution?

been proven remarkably successful in varied metropolitan areas. Sorry, don't have any sources readily available, but could swear I read an article about it recently in the NY Times.

But I'm a little shaky from the article as to what, beyond investigating the violence, the problem is. Increased police presence in this neighborhood in the short term would be a start.

But this is a very specific 1 mile area put on full lockdown. Now, perhaps this is a little paranoiac, but what this very directed curfew is implying is that everyone within that area is a potential suspect.

What is it that I am/we are trying to solve here?

Since they've cut federal funding, municipalities across the country have cut their police forces.

Imposing martial law on an entire community because of the actions of a few is hardly equitable. As the OP points out, it's also unconstitutional.

If I lived there I'd be raising holy hell. In fact someone could probably own that city if they have some extra $$ and several years to spend on a lawsuit.

hire more police. I read the description of this town on wicki, and it was a thriving town until the rubber company shut down. It fell into poverty. I suspect the only way to make any $$ is to sell drugs. I guess the one thing I never understood was why people can't just sell the damn drugs to whoever wants them without trying to kill each other? I get it that there are conflicting groups selling drugs in big cities and they fight each other for territory, but in a town of 15,000? I don't understand that?

in the post cheap oil era.

preferable to imprison everyone in the whole town than do their damn jobs, they're wrong and the townspeople are crazy if they let them get away with this. Laying off a few city hall paper pushers and getting rid of their expense accounts and city cars would free up enough $$ to hire additional officers.

Locking up the whole town is outrageous. That anyone would actually advocate such a brazen usurpation of civil rights is mind boggling.

If they have the money to institute this curfew, they have the money for more cops on patrol, maybe another street light or two to make sure the area is well-lit. :shrug:

With a small, poor local population and an excess of pushers,the pushers will still try to stifle competition, one way or another.

Anyway, several years ago there were local news stories about the so-called "Marianna connection". Like Helena-West Helena, Marianna is another small, poor town in the "delta" area of eastern Arkansas. Apparently, a large number of the college students from Marianna who were attending the University of Arkansas and other universities in the state were paying for their educations by dealing drugs on the side. The last I heard, the "Marianna connection" had been broken, but it's entirely plausible that the suppliers just moved on to another equally depressed small town to recruit pushers to sell at the state's universities.

most places haven't recovered from yet.

I don't need to present a superior solution to be able to state that that one is complete bullshit.

That would free up a lot of police resources to go after _real_ crime, ie: crime that violates the rights of another.

But since it would reduce the power of the politicians it will never happen.

Even that DC area mayor whose dogs were shot in police drug raid on his home didn't have the balls to speak out against the drug war.

The USA has the highest incarceration rate in the entire world, bar absolutely none, and yet we need 24/7 curfews in small towns because crime is out of control?

What, exactly, is wrong with this picture?

That would be the killer right there if the curfew were too early. It would place too large a burden on ordinary people going about their business, shopping on the way home, going out to supper, spending an evening at a local bar watching the game, etc.

It at least sounds like the cops are instructed to ask questions, first.

I've lived in a few areas where a midnight curfew would have been a blessing. I know what those folks are going through. I don't claim to know the answers, though. There's always a fine line between inconveniencing law abiding citizens and setting traps for thugs.

From the article:

"It applies to anyone, any age, and any time of day."

This is a 24/7 curfew.

How can you have a 24/7 curfew? Eventually people will starve to death. No US government is going to enforce that.

...what inspired me to look for this article was a blip on one of the news channels as I was getting up this morning. The article linked is a bit thin on what this curfew entails, but as I understand it, even going out into your own front yard is breaking the curfew. Now I am sure that allowances are made for "necessary travel" such as going to work or going shopping, but as far as I've been able to tell, any presence out of doors within this one mile perimeter can subject you to questioning.

In the 1992 LA riots, for example, the governor declared a 24/7 curfew in some parts of LA. Anyone outside without good reason was subject to search and arrest. That curfew was only declared after the governor declared a state of emergency and deployed the National Guard to the area. And, since you brought it up, getting FOOD is typically treated as a "good reason", though they may ask you a few pointed questions about exactly what store you're going to and where your home is, to corroborate the claim.

This is NOT something some podunk rural mayor can employ to deal with a crime problem.

Rapists, robbers, and shooters are already breaking the law on a daily basis. What would make people believe that they will follow a curfew?

The only people suffering here are the ones who actually obey the law. The sad thing is, they're getting a false sense of security.

Anyone being arrested for it could then sue the town for violating their rights.

abagley75 - 8/10/2008
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"Way to Go Mayor Valley. It is about time that someone told the liberals who love criminals until they come to their neighborhood to go to hell. That crime-infested excuse for a neighborhood needs a constant police presence to clean it up. Poor people deserve to be safe too and those residents there haven't had any freedom for a long time because the pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, drug users, rapists, murderers, thieves, and miscreants have ruled the streets because no one would stand up to them. Keep up the good work."


They are looking forward to some good ole "marshall law". Bring it on! :eyes: :puke:

"It is about time that someone told the liberals who love criminals until they come to their neighborhood to go to hell."

Where the fuck is it writ that liberals love criminals? I am a liberal and I don't love criminals. I don't sympathize with them, and I would hope that we do a middling to good job of bringing them to justice. That said, I don't believe in stomping out the basic rights of law-abiding taxpaying citizens to move about and execute their normal daily lives in the process.

You can just bet that this respondent would be fire-pissing mad if it were his/her neighborhood on lockdown.

NOT HOUSE ARREST FOR ALL RESIDENTS.

We have to take away the residents' freedom in order to ensure their freedom???

Methinks you didn't pass Logic 101 in grade school.

Bah-dum, pssh.

or just in this forum? I, myself, created a username and password so I could put my two cents in to Abagley just in hopes that the redneck gets to hear me out. Yes, these are very poor folks and should not have to face this crime, but they should not be imprisoned themselves.

This needs to be addressed immediately by our country or I'm scared this could be a leading trend that sweeps the nation.

but they aren't completely devoid of common sense.

On the other hand, martial law in Helena Montana,,,,, what are they hiding?

:tinfoilhat: :shrug: :tinfoilhat: :shrug: :tinfoilhat: :shrug: :tinfoilhat: :shrug: :tinfoilhat: :shrug:

Carry on.

And make it fast.

and to be in public places.

Mayor: time to raise taxes so you can afford more cops to patrol the crime-infested areas and arrest ACTUAL CRIMINALS.

In Helena-West Helena? Either you're devoid of any sensitivity or you have no freakin' clue how poor most of the people in Phillips County are.

Raising taxes isn't always the answer to everything.

What exactly would you have them do since clearly turning the residents of a neighborhood into prisoners in their own homes is both unreasonable and more importantly, unconstitutional?

Regards

What I do know is that it is a poor, Delta community, and that the pat "just raise taxes" answer was either born of callousness and insensitivity or of ignorance.

rather than implementing one of the world's most authoritarian 'laws' about whether the public is allowed out in public?

House arrest without due process of an entire community is about as blatant a violation of constitutional rights as I have ever heard of.

lack of adequate policing. My point was that THAT is the approach to take, not VIRTUAL IMPRISONMENT OF THE ENTIRE POPULACE by 24/7 "curfew".

So call me insensitive.........

for a few weeks, identify all the wanted thugs and take them away.

I realize if you don't live in a very rough neighborhood this seems harsh. However if you live in a neighborhood where there are too many bad guys - you're going to get robbed walking down the street, then maybe the idea of cleaning it up is a godsend to these people. It would be in my current neighborhood and mine doesn't have murders and rapes in the street like that neighborhood does.

and are on the street for a good reason. IE coming home or going to work.

Sure it sounds harsh but really it depends on what kind of a neighborhood and problem they have and it sounds like a pretty bad one. And yea, my neighborhood would benefit from it.

while you attend to yours? Then what?

Last I checked people had the right to go about their business in peace. No one should have to get the okay from the local constabulary in order to go to the supermarket or even just take a walk.

And when the police decide you're reasons for being on the street isn't good enough this is worthy of jail time?

No one should be subjected to on-street interrogation without probable cause and being on the street doesn't cut it.

This, is the road towards fascism and it is not okay.

Regards

going to be killed when they go from their car to their front door.

We don't have a policy of opposition to all taxes, all the time.

Somebody needs to cough up some money and deal with the problem. And no, it's not the poorest of the poor I'm talking about.

and then post guards at the entries. If they want to live/work in a prison, let them.

What happens to those who can't afford to move out? Do they just stay and suffer under your McLame-like scenario? Or have we devolved to the point where constitutional rights are only respected for those who can afford it?

Regards

Who needs hurricanes, floods, or fires? Just manufacture your own disaster and then let the Shock Doctrine do its magic.

with poverty, there are no businesses to provide jobs and the city is not trying to entice businesses in this area. I am also guessing that those that are committing these crimes should be in jail still and have been released.

I wonder if their is a Walmart near this area? Did it closed down local small businesses. I would be interested in the correlation.

Peachy. :eyes:

solve many of society's behavioral problems.

I wouldn't be surprised if......

They could implement an "Anbar Awakening".
Kill everyone of a different race or religion inside the area.
Pay the remaining people $100,000/year not to shoot each other.
Publicly claim success and use it to campaign for re-election.

But then so is Helena-West Helena, as is the city council. The mayor is black, too.

Not sure if that says much of anything.

somebody is guilty of infringing on civil rights.

LITTLE ROCK – Mayor James Valley of Helena-West Helena says he has no problem with dogs or other animals. He just believes that strays in his east Arkansas town are better off in nearby national forest than the local animal shelter.

The city's animal shelter was so run down a regional humane society worker cut the locks last winter and released all the dogs, the mayor said. The city then moved the operation to a temporary fenced-in area outdoors at the city sanitation department.

Still, people complained that the animals were not properly cared for at the temporary quarters, so the mayor decided the dogs would be better off fending for themselves in the St. Francis National Forest.

Valley said the city street director released about 10 dogs into the forest Wednesday after the animals were fed and watered. About three dogs were kept to be put down by a veterinarian, he said.

"They are better off free," the mayor said Thursday in a telephone interview.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/pets/stories/061308dnlivdogs.221d89d.html