Helena, Arkansas a Mid-South Crime-ridden town. 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. 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. The controversial mayor from Helena-West Helena who recently came under fire for releasing shelter dogs into a national forest….is raising eyebrows again. Mayor James Valley has given residents in one high-crime neighborhood two choices…. go home or go to jail! Go home or go to jail! Those are the only two options for people living in one Mid-South neighborhood …. Crime-ridden Arkansas town. West Helena Arkansas Before the 24-Hour Curfew watch the video
Duration : 0:1:50
[youtube rO6S1MTp-hI]
December 24th, 2009 at 2:43 am
They that can give …
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Ben Franklin
December 24th, 2009 at 2:43 am
haha, dumb …
haha, dumb tried to cut the electricity.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:43 am
I’m extremely …
I’m extremely confused
December 24th, 2009 at 2:43 am
good ole arkansas. …
good ole arkansas. i miss it
December 24th, 2009 at 2:43 am
wait did he shoot …
wait did he shoot him
December 24th, 2009 at 2:43 am
man i live there
man i live there
December 24th, 2009 at 2:43 am
hey i know that …
hey i know that place lol