Even though whites also get into fights, steal and rape. Easy to blame it all on the blacks. Little Rock is just a racist city, it always has been. Is it not one of the things we are most famous for, Central High .

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It's interesting to me that when asked if he is a Little Rock cop he denies it, saying he is a Conway cop.

Edgmon's mother says in an interview, "“It is difficult when anyone loses their job, but civil servants have the added humiliation of public scrutiny of their mistakes. While others may criticize this one mistake, we are proud of the good David has tried to accomplish all his life.”

Yeah, it sucks to be humiliated in public.

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OK, I’ll take the bait. What events in the River Market draw large numbers of African-Americans?

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Link gives an error code.

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New good video on net (face book and believe on you-tube. About homophobia -- kid committing suicide because of abuse.

Where No Kid Fears "Christian's Song" [HQ]
by Aleece Walz (videos)

http://www.facebook.com/n/?profile.php&id=….

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"...running into large groups that are threatening."
OK, "large groups" may be the real problem--not race.

Large groups of young people who appear to be hanging out together and walk up and down streets, or block sidewalks, or other types of cohesive group behavior are usually viewed as threatening by those not in the group. Notice I said "young people." Large groups of young people are always viewed as threatening no matter the race. How many times have all of us seen a large group of kids coming down the street and gotten uneasy? If they're young males, especially. They could be white, hispanic, asian, black, etc., doesn't matter. Ninety percent of the time, the "large group of young people" isn't up to any chicanery at all.

Be careful about implying it's about race, Max. That'll stir up nine kinds of hell. I agree that Little Rock has a racial problem. But when it comes to this situation-I think the issue is more of a problem of large group dynamics than race. I don't for a minute believe that RiverMarket business owners are racist, or the young white kids who live downtown are racist, except for the occasional bad apple. But overall, the people who are devoted to downtown are quite progressive or they wouldn't have made it this far.

It may be that the RiverMarket District is beginning to out grow itself, and may have to look at better ways to control the crowds that gather. Most entertainment districts reach this point. It may be time to begin closing off the street at night, or asking promoters to reschedule parties so that they don't all pop off at the same time, thus making crowds more manageable.

There are lots of solutions that don't involve saying it's race.

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Lord A-Mighty, it’s a wonder (divine intervention?) that I haven’t used the term “jigaboo” to describe a piece of fishing tackle or some other contraption I’d rigged up for myself and couldn’t otherwise describe. Might be hard for some here to believe, but I can’t recall ever having heard the word before today.

None of the above is said to excuse the young cop’s behavior and choice of words if he knew what he was saying, which I suspect he did. Lessons learned the hard way, with his dismissal from the LRPD setting a good example for others, hopefully.

And I’m with Pavel: Although I’m a frequent visitor to the River Market, I’ve somehow missed entirely those “events” that draw “large numbers” of my darker-skinned brothers and sisters to the area. Wouldn’t bother me in the least to see such, though.

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Max, would you care to clarify the statement about the unnerving effect of "large numbers of African-Americans"? I suppose it's true that some people are unnerved by large numbers of black people, but I think it's really an issue of events that attract large numbers of young black kids, especially young black males. I doubt that the average white citizen is driven to anxiety by the presence of blue-haired black ladies in their Sunday crowns making their way to brunch.

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I have not hard that epithet for years.

curse + epihet + public drunk = stupid

Flash badge + curse + epihet + public drunk = abuse = fired

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Yes the fears I have heard articulated have been about young people. Crowds of DAR and other blue hairs are rarely seen at midnight gatherings for hip hop shows.

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Though probably lost under the sands of time, soon after the first black slaves were imported to America in 1607, some close friend of Gutenberg probably printed the first story about fearing a large gathering of black people. That fear is older than our country.

All my life I've heard people talking about staying away from New Orleans or Memphis or the east side of Kansas City......too many blacks...ohhhh! And I think the sheer blackness of New Orleans is what caused the Federal Government to ignore drowning people for a week after Katrina. If that had been Westport, Connecticut, the skies would have black with aircraft bring aid to the water soaked people. And of course the ignoring continues in the Gulf.

Now, having said all that, I must point out that as I slip down the slope to elderly, I'm finding any crowd of young folks to be a little frightening. Aging people sense a loss of personal power, it's been so long since I've been in a fight, who knows if I can protect myself? And since time began, young folks scare old folks. I hear myself saying the same things I heard my parents say.....what's wrong with these kids? No telling what those crazy kids are up to? Next I'm sure I'll be lining my medicine cabinet with laxatives just sure my valve won't work tomorrow morning.

There are bad young'uns of all colors, there were in our day too, but reflect on the Bush White House, the Koch brothers, Wall Street......the old'uns are the ones who have wrecked America, you're in greater danger from well dressed white Republicans than anyone in the River Market. And it has been my experience after nearly 9 years of close contact with cops that they'll be the last folks who change their opinion about blacks.

If you ask a cop about why they're so hard on black people, they'll start sputtering that you're not out there....you do see what they see! And obviously I'm not out there and I don't see what they see. But it's a Catch 22 that's been going on since about 1607. Repressed, abused, hopeless, poor people will often break the laws. After all, what have they got to lose? Miserable out of jail is sometimes harder than miserable in jail....at least they get 3 meals per day in the pokey.

And as one who has spent a lifetime living next to Judge Parker's no man's land once called Indian Territory, I can tell you that it does indeed matter who your grandpappy was because 1 generation instills its values on the next. If your grandpappy was a low life ex-con, wife beater, who never amounted to a hill of beans, I doubt your daddy was a Rhodes Scholar. Of course there are rare exceptions who break the chain, but rare is the key word.

I believe in 20 years we'll see that the election of Barack Obama was a major turning point in black America. Nothing says your race is A-OK like seeing a member of your race in the White House. Black folks in America have been told they're bad for over 400 years, if you're old enough and smart enough to log on to the AT blog you're smart enough to know what happens to a child told they're no good from birth.

I wish there was a way to demonize white people for one solid year. If we could do that, we might understand how the black shoes fit. Until then and as we all get older, it will just be far too easy to look down our noses, shake our fingers and heads and quietly think......they're no good, they're just no good. And 500 years from now we'll still be having this same argument.

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"Oh, foolish man. What can you not be made to believe?"

~Adam Weishaupt~

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Take a city determined to create at all cost (as long as taxpayers are footing the bills), a "district" that will revitalize a dead part of the city. Add open-carry booze laws. Add the fact that the only attractions of said "district" are bars that appeal in the main only to drunk 20-somethings. Add testosterone-fueled interactions among aimlessly milling crowds of drunk 20-year-olds and you're gonna have trouble.

Most amusing was a TV piece the other day after someone threw a brick through the front of the Clinton Store. The TV reporter's angle was that it was absolutely safe to wander the "River Market District" late at night. The reason it was safe, the report said, was that Little Rock has flooded the "district" with cops. But, one city official insisted on camera, the flood of cops weren't there because it might be unsafe without them.

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The River Market could kick prices up another 20% or so. That would probably get the youngsters out of there. Make it so they can't afford it. Also, I sort of agree with the other poster about the fact that it is large groups of youngsters that breed the fear, not the race. I mean, just imagine a large group of those Episcopal High Schoolers, or a group of PA kids. Now you talk about fear. Ever been to a Catholic High assembly? Man, It'll put real fear in your heart. All those clean shaven boys in them ties. Perish the thought. Makes me tremble. But - back to all those kids in the River Market late at night....... soon as their cousins and daddys get done we got extra room for them at a nice group of hotels in Jefferson and Lincoln County! Rock on gangsters!

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Claude - When did the River Markert become open container? I'll admit it's been years since I've been there (I'm much happier in the low key Hillcrest bars).

Durango - are you honestly saying you've never heard the term to refer to black people? That would be amazing...can't imagine a corner in te
state where that term hasn't been uttered by some racist dumbass.

Good for Chief Thomas for firing this piece of !*#%. There is no room in our government, especially in the LRPD, for that type.

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"Jigaboo?" Haven't heard that one in a while. Last non-N*word slur I caught was "porch monkey." I wonder if (some) black people using the word "nigger" so much makes it seem less effective as a slur. Maybe the thing is to resurrects some oldies-but-badies. Or maybe folks know if you use "nigger" as a slur in a group of blacks you'd better be ready to fight. Looks like that young cop wasn't looking for a fight.

We've sure complicated our society with race. No, not (just) that "slavery thing" that makes everybody so tired -- Jim Crow laws and traditions extending well into my lifetime.

I think I'll watch "Crash" again.

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Has anyone bothered to investigated the color of the alleged suspects in these assaults/robberies? Just wondering

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From the video, it looked like 2 white kids, 1 black kid, and 1 jackass.

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And the jackass was pretty well lit Doc!

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The RiverMarket is not open container, although the idea was floated a year or so ago.

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“Durango - are you honestly saying you've never heard the term [jigaboo] to refer to black people?” ~ IronyMan

I’d swear on a stack of bibles that I haven’t, IM. Or if I ever heard it way back there somewhere, it simply did not register. I asked the sainted wife (who had not yet read the paper at the time) if she’d ever heard the word “jigaboo,” and she said, “Yes, all my life.” Like me, she is a native of the state and grew up here. And like you, she couldn’t believe I can’t recall ever having heard the word.

Then at a late lunch this afternoon, I asked a group of friends if they’d heard the term, and like the dssw, all said yes, of course, many times. I find that odd as hell. I’m not a saint, have not lived a sheltered life, and am not a naïve person, but somehow that particular word has flown right over my head.

Now every other degrading/condescending term that’s ever been used to describe black/brown folks, you can bet I’ve heard it. Numerous times. Frankly, I’m as puzzled as you and my spouse that jigaboo is new to me. Don’t approve of it, but gotta tell you I’d much prefer it to some of the other words I’ve heard.

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I suppose there are some who think they're being a tad more polite by skipping the N word and saying jigaboo. I would suppose they're are sorely mistaken. Maybe it shows that 1 brain cell is doing a little work, but that's not good enough. Don't get no points by calling your mother in law a whore instead of a skanky whore. Really people....this isn't that hard.

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I'd say the cop was intimidated and used the word as "shock factor" to attempt to show he wasn't afraid of these guys. But it ain't like they accosted him. They were clearly minding their own business and he stepped in to harass them. Drunk redneck. From this, it doesn't appear that he needed to be a cop in the first place. We've got plenty of redneck cops already.

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TH @ 11:30 pm, went to River Mkt to pick up my young college people after a RevRm concert. The biggest scare down there was a corvette flying thru stop sign at Butler Center/KATV corner, nearly hitting my car and 2 pedestrians. No LRPD in that block at that time so the corvette made it without a speeding ticket. Amazed me given the # of police in the area -- saw @least 6 PD cars. The j-word is as offensive to me as the n-word. This young cop should know better and behave better, so kudos to LRPD for immediately firing him. As for the "large groups" roaming the River Mkt TH, the largest "group" was waiting to get in a club on Pres Clinton, they weren't bothering anyone that I saw. Common sense says in any city after midnight, it's best to be home or headed home when you are in an area that attracts people to bars.

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I propose that neither the j-word nor the n-word ever appear on an AT Blog thread again, regardless of the context in which it might be used. Could all of us agree on that, and if not, why not?

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Not only did our blog ( http://www.corruptionsucks.blogspot.com ) break this story, but our business actually operates in the River Market and has done so for over 7 yrs. now. We also know the group that was accosted by former rookie officer David Edgmon. As one reader pointed out, the group was NOT a BLACK group, but both blacks and whites- a rap group. Also, "events" that "attract" so-called blacks are quite rare in the River Market area. That's not the problem, curfew enforcement is. Being Creole Indian, we have a unique perspective on this. When large groups of NON-customers gather together of any "race" and clog-up the streets, business sucks. Yes, the streets need to be closed and according to Lt. Hastings and Chief Thomas, they are at 10pm fri & sat.- THANKS we will be addressing this "race" & Jim Crow-styled racism issue upon our corruption blog and revealing some interesting details on monday. Corruption Sucks- Google it!

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Thanks, Ean Bordeaux, for confirming my suspicion that very few events in the River Market attract large numbers of African-Americans.

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Pavel,

There are periodic hiphop shows. They draw diverse crowds, but significant numbers of younger black people. Our John Tarpley says they are nothing to fear. A regular hiphop show is also a popular draw in the Argenta neighborhood across the river and there, as here, some older people have been heard to express misgivings about gatherings of young people for such. Not as bad as a mosque in the neighborhood maybe, but .... More seriously, I don't raise this issue lightly. But I think it's better to confront the preconceptions that exist (call them prejudice in some cases) and make sure things don't happen for the wrong reason.

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Popular hip hop shows in Argenta?

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