Vol. 2, No. 20
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Photo by Steve Listopad
The peaceful protest in honor of George Floyd was held in Arkadelphia on Tuesday. Hundreds of people showed up to support the african american community in their fight for equality.
Protests Reach Arkadelphia By Pete Tubbs Interim Editor in Chief The eight minutes and forty six seconds that took George Floyds life on May 25 is a timeframe that will never be forgotten. In the time since the murder of Floyd by officer Derek Chauvin, dozens of protests and rallies have burned across the country for the purpose of calling out injustice and demanding a change. African Americans are done with being treated unfairly, and a lot of the rest of the country are standing with them. People of all nationalities have banded together in order to make the tragedy of George Floyd’s death be something that will change America forever. While some of the protests across the country have been violent and riotous, it’s clear that there are people that want to be, and are being, heard. The call for a change made its way to Arkadelphia on Tues. night when a crowd of hundreds met at Gennesaret Missionary Baptist Church to walk half a mile through town to the still-indevelopment Martin Luther King Jr. park on Fifteenth and Pine. The crowd was told to wear black and adhere to COVID-19 precautions by wearing face masks. No violence occured during the event, and people
of all races were present. The protest lasted over two hours. The protest was guarded by both city and state police officers who blocked off the street with barricades and their cruisers. The roaring crowd could be heard before they were even seen, but when the collection of black clothed Arkadelphians came into view in front of the backdrop of a pink sky in the midst of
from Gennesaret Missionary Baptist Church was next up to the podium with a prayer. Wilson was followed in prayer and speech by Pastor of Gennesaret Missionary Baptist Hershall Williams. Williams remarked that “this is a white and black issue… when I see my beautiful white sisters and brothers marching with us for this cause, it really gives my heart much joy.” He spoke
“Get your hammer, get your nail... everybody has a part to play in the house we’re trying to build.” sunset, one could tell that this invitation to protest was met with open arms by the townspeople. The organizer of the event, President of the Clark County NAACP Henry L. Wilson, opened the ceremony. He explained that many speakers were to follow, and that he would speak last. Pastor Hershall Williams
about the undeniable fact that there are good police officers, but there are bad ones as well, and he encouraged them to “put on blast every racist police officer [because] the same way you have [family] you want to go home to at night… we do, too.” Pastor Kyle Jones of Munn’s Chapel First Bap-
tist in Prescott followed. Throughout his speech, he made the analogy that all Americans are building a house together, and that no matter what part of the house one is in, everyone has some tools. Jones ended with “get your hammer, get your nail… everybody has a part to play in the house we’re trying to build.” The city officials of Arkadelphia were up next in the order of City Manager Gary Brinkley, Chief of Police Shorty Jackson, and Mayor Dr. Scott Byrd. During Brinkley’s speech, he spoke of his history with the town and of his interest in keeping it together. Of the event, he said he is “very pleased with the community. It was a great rally and it’s very necessary for the healing process.” Chief Jackson was met with applause and numerous shouts of “Shorty!” as he approached the stage. Jackson said “members of our community fear [the police] and fear dying at our hand unjustly,” and that “I’m not saying you should not feel that way, I’m saying it hurts me that you feel that way. I do not deny that reason is there.” Jackson ended with saying “our department will do better, and we will always try to make every one of you proud and to earn your respect.” See Protest on Page 4
Arkadelphia Council Meeting rushed to accommodate protest By Pete Tubbs Interim Editor in Chief As Arkadelphia’s city council meetings continue to abide by strict COVID-19 precautions, business continues as usual. The last meeting was Tues., and it held no shortage of town developments. Every three years the Clark County Arts & Humanities building comes up for modification of its lease agreement. The time came on Tues., and the subject sparked some discussion. The first item on the docket was the agreement between AWU & Crist Engineers on Moving the Water and Sewer Utilities. As this had been something discussed before, the group quickly voted to move forward on this agreement. The town board talked about whether or not the council was prepared for another three years and if there is another use for the building by the city. It was ultimately voted on that the council retain its rights to the building with a few minor changes to the lease agreement. The sign ordinance was next to be discussed on the agenda. The council had been discussing changes to the ordinance for a while. Linear footage requirement was the most contentious and discussed part of the ordinance as for years it
has been based on this and not percentage requirement, which is what most of the group agreed the ordinance should be revised to include. This discussion eventually led to a unanimous vote in favor for the revision. Executive session was then called so that the group could discuss a personnel matter. This lasted for approximately thirty minutes after which, in the interest of time, the matter was not solved. The water park is due open June 13, and it was cautioned that there are a lot of COVID-19 precautions that will require patience. On June 11 there will be a walkthrough so that the business community can get a bearing on what will occur upon reopening. One of the more moving parts of the meeting occurred when the group shared their thoughts about the recent happenings around the world. Sentiments about the town and about the people in it as everyone reflected on the troubles of the past and a hopeful future. The protest that was due to begin at 6:30 p.m. forced the meeting to be a little rushed, and the meeting was adjourned at 6:18 p.m.. The next meeting will occur on June 16 at 5:30 p.m. in Town Hall.
City Braces as Business Mainstay Closes By Pete Tubbs Interim Editor in Chief 2020 has been a year that has not been kind to the citizens of Arkadelphia. The COVID-19 panic, HSU’s troubles, and the imminent closing of Danfoss have all been detrimental to many of the people that live in “a great place to call home.” Thr troubles aren’t over, however, as Alumacraft is shutting its doors as well. On May 27, parent company BRP sent out a press release that detailed the reason for closing. In that release, BRP stated that it will “focus on the growth
of its boat brands with new technology and innovative marine products,” and willl “discontinue production of Evinrude E-TEC and E-TEC G2 outboard engines.” Seeing as the factory in Arkadelphia produced the Evinrude boats, the location is no longer needed. One person that works closely with the economics of the city retains hope for the future, however. Stephen Bell, President of Arkadelphia Regional Economic Develompent Alliance, stated that “we’re still optimistic about overall jobs in Clark County. We hace an industrial prospect
due to visit in mid-June and a real estate developer interested in the Danfoss Building.” In addition to these developments, there is a new Pediatrics Plus clinic that’s “coming along” near the campus of OBU. As for the workers that are losing their jobs because of the closing of Alumacraft, Bell and others are “planning a job fair in the near future,” and stated that “there are a number of employers in the county still hiring and looking for workers. It’s safe to say that the closing was not expected by many people. Bell himself
said that “most everyone in the boat industry... were surprised by the Alumacraft move.” He even mentioned that he had been in contact with them recently about a possible expansion of operations. One of the main factors that could have contributed to this development is the purchase of Alumacraft bu the BRP group in 2018. According to Bell, “whenever there is a new owner, you can often expect a consolidation or expansion.” The future could hold any number of positive things for our community, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Photo by Pete Tubbs
The closing of Alumacraft adds to a dismal 2020 for people of Arkadelphia.