Arkansas Blog

OK, I'm breathing easier now. Thanks for helping sort through it all, Max.

I bet the engineer moonlights as a writer for the Family Research Council.

Like durangokid, I breathe a bit easier knowing no one was raped, and the mayor wasn't out covering it up. That said, I'd like to see the police presence get off the horses in Ottenheimer Plaza and get on the ground, checking in the dark corners under the I-30 overpasses, etc to prevent something like is referenced in the note from happening. Also what happened to closing President Clinton at night on the weekends -- the road is way to crowded and the intersection of Clinton/Markham and Cumberland/La Harpe is a mess, it's unsafe for pedestrians with people chatting out of the window at the attractive young male/female of choice instead of driving/etc.

Whew! I am so relieved that there were only TWO incidents this month from the Rivermarket area that involved an abduction and dumping the victim on a rural road. Thank goodness that only ONE was shot before dumping him. I now can park in the dark in the Rivermarket area at night and not worry about anything but 'heavy handed' panhandlers. I am so glad the police dept. cleared this all up. Oh, and just out of curosity, how long is 'shortly'?

Max,

While certainly good news about the other rumored incidents in the River Market, I am not so sure that two confirmed carjackings in the last 13 days in our city's main entertainment district will assuage many fears. While murders are blessedly down in Little Rock overall, I have seen a huge spike in smaller, property related crimes in my little corner of the Hillcrest world. I think the totality of circumstances involving crime in Little Rock, and not just these reports from the River Market, make people a little edgy.

Jesse Gibson

ARK. BLOG: Thanks and agreed. I am far more concerned about the workaday quality of the Little Rock burglar. They are legion and they are good. They seem to burgalarize with near impunity. It's just a day at the office. Pop a front door with a crow bar. Grab the TV, computer, video games and anothing of obvious worth lying around and be gone in a twinkling. Some even do it in homes with security alarms, gone before anybody responds. It's a feeling of utter powerlessness. The same for car burglaries, which are pandemic. And, yes, two carjackings in the same place are cause for real concern.

Hey, Jesse - long time, no see. Will you make it to Hayes on Friday??

I seem to recall some severe problems in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Did that stop die-hard shoppers from their appointed rounds? No sirree Bob!! A few years back, a young woman was murdered at a rest stop. People still stop and use that rest stop.

It's amazing how many people start panicking after someone hollers, "The sky is falling! Run for your lives!!", when all they had to do was look up and see for themselves.

I wince inside because some of these same folks quaking with fear will stand up at a patriotic function and proudly sing about America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Kinda sad to think about it, really.

Funny how quickly some are to condemn the mayor, police and media and so slow to apologize for making baseless allegations of a cover up.

I think with the amount of attention and money this area is getting that these types of crimes, no matter how little, need to be reported more responsibly by the media. The fact that many people who work and live in the downtown area knew nothing of this is bad just by itself. There are some other issues at hand here. I have heard through what I believe is a credible source, that there have been multiple rapes in the area this past year. Either way, there is obviously an uptick in crime and as more people go to the RiverMarket the police presence must be increased.

Thanks again, Max, for birddogging this issue. If we want the River Market and the broader area surrounding the River Market (Clinton Library, Argenta, downtown Little Rock) to attract tourists (and their money), the entire area must be safe, and it must be know to be safe. We can eliminate the dark areas with high-intensity lights. We can add cameras to monitor the area. We can increase the number of police (bicycle and mounted) and the frequency of patrols. Yes, these things cost money, but they are investments that we must make if we want the greater River Market area to thrive and prosper.

Really, "bird-dogging" this issue. Admittedly, I am not an avid reader of the Ark. Times, but most of my friends that I speak to on a daily basis do, and I do not believe that either of these stories were "bird-dogged" by the Times. Seriously, someone got a bag put over his head, kidnapped, and robbed at gun-point. Another was kidnapped at gunpoint, shot in the leg, and left for dead. Whew, at least no one was raped and murdered! Does no one see the problem with that when there are two police precincts less than a mile from the area?

ARK. BLOG: I can't help it if you don't read. We reported the carjacking and shooting last week. A reader at that time added the news of the abduction of the man to NLR. We talked to the police about it Monday and got the report, which we posted, of two similar incidents. We remarked that the one recent incident was scary enough. But a chain of 50 rapes it was not. Nor a murder. Nor multiple murders. I'd prefer no robberies. But I'd prefer two to 50. The story here was the viral e-mail craziness. We certainly did bird-dog that, rather than just help it gain momentum.

Well, as someone who did forward that email to my friends and to the Times and then sent a second with the Times blog link and now just a third with the second part, I apologize for spreading "rumors", though, to be fair, there was some of the truth in there, I did preface saying 1) I don't think the press is covering up murders and 2) There was investigating to be done, but one should be cautious anywhere they are these days. That doesn't mean we don't go out, you just make sure you take the appropriate measures to best insure your safety.

That said...Pavel, while increased Polic patrols, on bike, foot, cruiser, whatever would be helpful and better lighting in the ridiculous maze of interstate overpasses down there, I don't think we need to be throwing up cameras every ten feet. Why is the answer to crime these days the continous video monitoring of our society. I for one don't like this trend. Yes, is it great when you catch a crime on video and can use it as evidence, sure. What about when those same instruments are abused and used against the very citizens they are suppose to protect? We seem to forget the decades of this society in which we didn't have these new fangle gadgets, but we had people, real people, out there in the community who knew faces and names and had connections that help them dissuade crime rather than high def images to let them see who done it after the fact. I don't think cameras are going to stop any of these crimes, these aren't criminals who are worried about public places, it may help to convict them, but I'd rather see the crime advoided than solved. I'm just saying, we continue to let our rights slip through our fingers in the name of controlling society's ills, and eventually they'll be nothing left in your hand to hold onto. We also seem to think less outreach to the lower classes and more monitoring and protection of the upper classes is the answer to all our woes.
MR. Rickey

Pay attention, scare-d-cat. Max is bird-dogging the whirlwind of exaggerated email forwards (I got 4 of them today myself) and helping people get their facts straight. Score one for the agility of new media's ability to respond to things much more quickly than daily newspapers.

We (hubby and I) went to the River Market the Sunday before last (about 2 pm). We thought we'd spend some time eating/shopping before traveling on to the airport...what a disappointment. Only two restaurants were open (and we got that info from a fellow unhappy visitor...after much wandering). I 'assumed' that the River Market was like most of the other metropolitan tourist areas (like Beale Street) we've visited through the years...open for business. What a disappointment...but we weren't accosted, just unhappy.

Colter, good defense of Max's effort. But, on the other hand, this stuff would have gotten debunked at the daily paper WELL BEFORE it would ever have appeared (we hope) in that paper. Blogs -- and e-mailers -- take this junk and run with it.

Someone else mentioned two "precincts" near the River Market. Heck, those aren't precincts. They're public relations stations. They're coffee-and-donut warmers. They're bike racks for the bike cops and hitchin' posts for the horse cops.

The post with Robert Johnston's follow-up about the homeless in Little Rock gets two responses but boy, you'd better not mess with my entertainment district. God forbid we should be as proactive and in an uproar about the neighborhoods who struggle with crime that happen to be neighborhoods in which we do not care to spend time.

Jake-

I believe that rest stop is closed.

So, I guess the only thing more rare than crime in the River Market is people attending the (now defunct?) "Enough" protests.

ARK. BLOG: Wrong as usual anon. A small but hardy band continues to bring light to the darkness.

Bwahahaha!

So clever, anonymous!

I am in stitches!

I'm relieved a bit to find out this was overblown, albeit still frightened at the incidents that have happened.

I'm also relieved to see that our hardcore criminals in the picture above are paying attention to the "click-it-or-ticket" campaign, and being safe drivers when pulling up to an atm to rob us.

Time out. Against the law to forward an unsubstantiated email?

1. What law is that?
2. Who is charged with enforcement?
3. When has this ever been enforced?

"ARK. BLOG: Wrong as usual anon. A small but hardy band continues to bring light to the darkness."

I bet. Too bad for them we're winning the war y'all said couldn't be won.

Regardless, I'm not the one quoting urban legends.

It's comforting to know that more than one person understood that I was praising Max for his work debunking the raging virus of a rumor about the River Market. If true, we needed to know that it was true; if false, we needed to know it was false. Now we know.

I share Mr. Rickey's trepidations about the Big Brother aspect of surveillance cameras, but cameras --- prominently displayed cameras --- scanning public areas such as the River Market streets and parking lots would make me feel more secure, not less.

If it were against the law to forward unsubstantiated e-mails, all my friends would be in jail. Everybody I know would be in jail, including my 75-year-old aunt.
A lot of Republicans would be in jail, and so would a lot of Democrats.
A lot of right-wing Christians would be jail, and so would a lot of left-wing Christians.
And we are already out of jail space for really dangerous criminals.
When violent crime is up, people have a right to talk about their fears and concerns.

Absolutely, BIG. If it comes down to forwarding or passing something on that might let one person know to be more vigilant, I'm going to do it, whether or not it means Mark Stodola has to answer a tough question or not.

""ARK. BLOG: Wrong as usual anon. A small but hardy band continues to bring light to the darkness."
I bet. Too bad for them we're winning the war y'all said couldn't be won."

Wow. I find it scarier that someone actually believes the above than taking my chances of being robbed in a parking lot.

From my presumably safe vantage point a few miles south and out in the country, where I believe I'll stay most nights, even I keep up with the news from LR. There are the robberies noted above, as well as such "incidents" as what I believe was a robbery of a west LR bar and its patrons early one morning recently. (My husband glanced at that story and told me we needed to stop going to LR to eat. I had to point out that it occurred in a bar at about 2 a.m. See how easy it is to get things twisted?)
Who knows how many other incidents I've read about that barely penetrated into my convoluted brain -- until the daylight NLR Wal-Mart shooting. Point being: it's not necessarily safe anywhere, not at Wal-Mart, maybe not even at home.
But you have your full-time mayor braying that it's illegal to pass along unsubstantiated stories?
Now why do I think that Mr. Riddle, who certainly used poor judgment in sending his first missive, got leaned on big time by LR officials, who seem to have plenty of time to deal with this "lawbreaker"?
We gotta check everything out before we pass along cautionary statements about dark parking lots, poorly monitored streets and spookily dark driveways?
Yeah, I've gotten a bunch of e-mails like he sent -- folks hiding under parked cars at the mall to cut you off at the ankles and take your purse, the potential rapist breaking a window on the side of the car away from the store and waiting for you, all that garbage.
There was even an attack in a hospital restroom . . . But wait, that really happened. My husband's nurses wouldn't let me leave the floor to run home before dawn until they had arranged an escort to my car.
In any case, the e-mails I get are invariably from friends who are a little more skittish and a little less informed than I am. It's called spreading rumors. It's dumb.
But illegal? Get off your high horse, Stodola.

Max:
We need a whole new thread to rip on Mayor Stodola about his statement regarding the legality of spreading rumors. That statement is offensive!!

". . . cameras --- prominently displayed cameras --- scanning public areas such as the River Market streets and parking lots would make me feel more secure, not less. . . ."

Unless Pavel, the cop (excuse me, Police Officer) supposedly viewing the cameras is asleep or taking a coffee break. Having had a convertible stolen twice a few years back and watching the erstwhile efforts of our police to catch the thief or find the car, I suspect the break or asleep would be more prevalent.

And it hasn't changed, a stolen BMW abandoned in a nearby apartment parking lot with a flat tire sat there for over four months this spring before any notice was taken, despite several reports to the apartment office and police. The debris from rainstorms under the body and behind the flat tire had accumulated to about 4 inches high before it was towed.

I noticed also relatively recently that an bicycle riders' verbal comments about turning on sirens and lights on police cars racing through the River Market area to get to shift change brought immediate action, an attempted arrest of the bicycle rider.

I support our peace officers, but I have seen quite a few on the Little Rock force that make me wonder why.

anon i am part of that enough gang wasting their time on sundays protesting the war. last week we had a man come by and thank us for what we are doing. his brother is over there and he hopes he comes home alive. until they all come home alive we are not wasting any time. my nephew is there and i am definetly not wasting time hoping he comes home alive. if you are so in favor why don't you get your ass over there and help. i am tired of the chicken hawks talking about how great it is to be there but they won't help and they laugh at us for saying it is bad to be there. either it is bad or you get your butt over there and do your part. there is no middle.

"Too bad for them we're winning the war y'all said couldn't be won."
by: Anonymous
HAhaHAhaHAhaHAhaHAhaHAhaHAhaHAha!!!!!!!!!!

It is rather ridiculous to say we are the ones winning in another country's civil war, don't you think??!! Maybe George W. Bush will have to start understanding the old expression: "This is not your daddy's war."

Clear the war terminology out of your system. It's not a matter of victory or defeat. It's a matter of sanity vs insanity and we are not helping the madness with our presence. Unfortunately, we have a lunatic beast by its horned tail and don't know how to let go. And the men who put us in that situation want us to thank them for it.

And if this hurts some poor wingnut's feelings, then I'll call an ambulance for the sucker.

What is the time and place of the "enough" protest?

the enough protest is every sunday from noon until 1:00 at the corner of markam and cumberland. anybody is welcome. please join us.

"anon i am part of that enough gang wasting their time on sundays protesting the war. last week we had a man come by and thank us for what we are doing. his brother is over there and he hopes he comes home alive. until they all come home alive we are not wasting any time. my nephew is there and i am definetly not wasting time hoping he comes home alive. if you are so in favor why don't you get your ass over there and help. i am tired of the chicken hawks talking about how great it is to be there but they won't help and they laugh at us for saying it is bad to be there. either it is bad or you get your butt over there and do your part. there is no middle.

Posted by: zonker [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 28, 2007 07:04 PM"

I'm glad to know that you have deluded yourself into thinking that rooting for your own country's defeat is noble. That's probably a real salve to your conscience. A lot of my friendsand several family members have served in Iraq or are currently. They all tell me that they don't know any servicemen who think like you do. Polls have demonstrated that time and again.

Keep calling me a chicken hawk. I'm sure that makes it okay to hope for our defeat. As I said before, I have am just as invested in this as you are. It makes no sense not to support victory just because I'm not there yet. What is it that makes you so eager to see us lose?

I think I've got this thing at least partly figured out.

"I'm glad to know that you have deluded yourself into thinking that rooting for your own country's defeat is noble." Posted by: Anonymous

I've wondered why Anonymous keeps hanging around such a a liberal blog. Could it be that he (*) thinks he (*) can win over the hearts and minds of a handful of poor, stupid, deluded liberal souls? Is it an inherent need to be an evangelist, to bring salvation to the lost? Does he (*) really believe that, because of 9/11 and the rise of radical Islamofacism, that the Bush administration is protecting America from terrorism by occupying the civil war torn, nee sovereign nation of Iraq?

Is he (*) merely a misguided conservative reaching out for help?

Is he (*) really Fritz Brantley posting craziness under a pseudonym in order to increase traffic for Dad's blog?

Here's the quote again:

"I'm glad to know that you have deluded yourself into thinking that rooting for your own country's defeat is noble." Posted by: Anonymous

I think we are talking about two different countries.

______________________

* The word "he" assumes one individual posts under the pseudonym Anonymous, which has been called into question.

Hugh, You're a funny guy.

Maybe I'm just bullheaded. Who knows.

Rather, I think you' must have been bullshitted. It's the only explanation I can come up with. Your sincerity is sweet on one hand, tragic on the other.

i am trying to think where i have been rooting for my own countries defeat. i thought we were there to help another country. that isn't our country. the sooner we get out then the quicker they can get on with on with their civil war. if we leave tomorrow or 6 months from now or 10 years from now the results will be the same so why are we there. i have never rooted against our country i just don't like seeing our kids wasted in a civil war we have no business in.

ENOUGH! People, this one is for you! ENOUGH!

300 patriots marched on Mitch McConnells home today (yes, he was hiding inside)... Awsome story and photos at my name!

Considering we lost all our moral marbles by going over there in the first place..

And considering the War was over (and victorious in a military sense) in a matter of days..

Considering you don't win occupations.

Considering you don't win someone elses civil war..

Considering all that and the fact folks like terrrrrists win as long as we drain our blood and treasure for nothing!

I would say that victory ship sailed and sunk a long time ago.

". . . the sooner we get out then the quicker they can get on with on with their civil war . . ."

It would appear, zonker, that they aren't waiting for us to leave.

http://www.startribune.com/722/story/1388644.html

". . .at least 51 dead from gunfire between rival Shiite militias Tuesday in the holy city of Karbala during a religious festival, the government ordered the Iraqi Army's Scorpion Brigade to impose order and begin moving an estimated 1 million pilgrims out of the city. More than 200 people were injured in the panic that ensued when Mahdi Army militia members loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr battled the Badr Organization, the armed wing of the rival Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council.

Amid hours of fighting, several vehicles and a hotel for pilgrims were set ablaze, and terrified pilgrims who had been praying at two shrines were trapped . . ."

Several thoughts come to mind, but first, two different militias fight for hours and government troops are sent in to "impose order?" Sounds like civil war to me.

1) Who was in charge of protecting the pilgrims in the first place?

2) Where was Petraeus and his "hopeful progress" not to mention the "surged troops" sent to impose stability for the Iraqi authorities to train their police and military and take over?

3) The first example of overt "civil warfare" in Iraq and our news media is focused ad nauseum on a twenty-plus-year repressed closeted homosexual or senator with weird bathroom habits. What a crock (on the media's part)? I know, I know, scandal or blood on the pavement equals viewers. Somehow 50 plus dead and 200 wounded without car bombs or IED's is blood on the pavement to me.

Study: US preparing 'massive' military attack against Iran Larisa Alexandrovna and Muriel Kane
Published: Tuesday August 28, 2007

"We should not underestimate the Bush administration's ability to convince itself that an "Iran of the regions" will emerge from a post-rubble Iran. So, do not be in the least surprised if the United States attacks Iran. Timing is an open question, but it is hard to find convincing arguments that war will be avoided, or at least ones that are convincing in Washington."

Scary & Insane, LINK--blue bejeeus

I just received the original e-mail, sent by someone who is definitely not keeping up. Once kicked into motion, these things will never die.

speaking of not letting things die. thanks to eureka, max, rosso, hugh, jake. and to farkleberry please join us we need the help. eureka after looking at the post on mcconnells home i really wish the 7 or 8 of us had marched on pryors home the other night and not left until he had agreed to not ever vote for torture again. we are a very scary group,