Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen, who spoke Tuesday in favor of a defeated proposal to require Little Rock police to live in the city, has written on his blog about the vote, critically as you might imagine.

He noted the racial divide — only black city directors voted for the measure. But he didn’t restrict his criticism to attitudes on the police force — majority white and four of every five white officers choosing to live outside the city (some of them provided police cars to drive home to far away places.)

Advertisement

Law enforcement efforts are flawed and relations between law enforcement agencies and communities of color are strained because the culture within law enforcement is “deeply racist.” White police officers in the Little Rock Police Department by and large are unwilling to live in the capitol city of Arkansas. Police Chief Kenton Buckner and Little Rock City Manager Bruce Moore, black men, opposed the ordinance proposed by Director Hendrix that would have made residency a requirement for new police officers. Chief Buckner and City Manager Moore show that “deeply racist” attitudes and practices within law enforcement work are not corrected because black politicians and governmental officials often join white civic and business leaders in perpetuating them. 

He wrote, too, about the white business establishment’s backing of the state takeover of the Little Rock School District, governed by a majority-black school board. He targeted comments by Directors Lance Hines and Dean Kumpuris urging more positive ways to improve relationships.

At best, their comments were no more than lip service. I and others were insulted. We don’t need socializing. We need systemic change. It’s absurd to think, and offensive to suggest, that the attitudes and conduct that killed Eugene Ellison and Bobby Moore III will be corrected by having black and white people “have a beer together.” 

Advertisement

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article Hot Springs cracks down on panhandlers Next article Republicans continue sexist barrage on Hillary Clinton