The gap between the percentage of homicide victims in Little Rock who are Black and the overall share of Black residents in the city has widened so far this year.
Little Rock is roughly 41% Black, but 93% of homicide victims in the city have been Black in 2024 compared to between 80-90% in recent years.
A period from August 19, 2023 to Aug. 11, 2024 in which every one of the 48 people who died as a result of non-justifiable killings were Black has contributed to the disparity, Grant Lancaster reported.
“It appears, oftentimes, that there is no response or people are not looking for viable solutions,†said Willie Davis, a sergeant with the Pulaski County sheriff's office who previously worked for the Little Rock Police Department.
Glen Schwarz, a perennial candidate who has sought elected positions in Little Rock during every election cycle since 2018, is ineligible to appear on the Nov. 5 ballot because of a previous felony conviction, according to Little Rock's city attorney.
Even though his record was later expunged, Schwarz's 1995 conviction on marijuana-related charges means he is disqualified from challenging at-large City Director Dean Kumpuris in the Position 8 contest this fall, City Attorney Tom Carpenter said in a letter.
Should the decision stand, Kumpuris will be unopposed in November.
Schwarz has made the decriminalization of marijuana a staple of his past campaigns. He most recently ran for mayor in 2022.
With no attorneys for three former corporate owners of the Big Country Chateau present in court on Wednesday, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Cara Connors agreed to enter a default judgment in favor of the Arkansas attorney general's office.
The case began under then-Attorney General Leslie Rutledge in 2022 and has continued under her successor, Attorney General Tim Griffin.
The three companies were sued over alleged violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which can result in civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.
"The former owners of Big Country Chateau continued their disregard for the court and its authority by failing to show up today," Griffin said in a statement following the judge's decision. "Today's default judgment allows my office to seek relief and hold them accountable for their detestable behavior against Arkansans."
Some more local stories are below. Have a good rest of the week.
