x
Breaking News
More () »

Little Rock city board to focus on street racing & youth violence

From drag racing to youth homicides to the penny sales tax, the Little Rock city board has a stacked agenda Tuesday night.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark — From drag racing to youth homicides to the penny sales tax, the Little Rock city board has a stacked agenda Tuesday night.

Some of the ordinances are ones that have had temporary measures for months now and others are recent issues the city is trying to address.

Edmond Davis is hoping city directors will be on his side Tuesday night.

"I truly believe that the city of Little Rock will do the right thing," he said.

Davis will be one of many advocating for the board to declare youth violence as a crisis in Little Rock and to allocate money for a youth violence initiative.

"We all know where the crimes are taking place, everyone knows this, but again what are we doing about it?" he said.

Davis is the director of the Derek Olivier Research Institute at Arkansas Baptist College. 

His team collects, analyzes, and tracks data trends related to violence.

Davis said he is calling on the city to embark on 21st-century programs for the younger generations.

"We have to have resources in place that are scientifically proven to help them and that speak to their language," he said.

According to Davis, it's not just the youth, but it's a multi-generational problem in Little Rock, and allocating more resources is the only solution the city has.

"It's pretty much, I would say a no brainer in the case that, we have to challenge this challenge as it is a challenge to take a different approach," he said.

Another topic that's been a repeated conversation is drag racing. City directors will decide whether or not to approve an ordinance that prohibits caravanning and street racing of any kind.

The ordinance also adds that private businesses would have to post signs on their property enforcing no trespassing after hours. 

The ordinance comes after a December ordinance from Mayor Scott that was considered "temporary."

The board will also be voting to call a special election on July 13 for the penny sales tax increase.

The board meeting is Tuesday, April 20 at 6 p.m. in the Robinson Center Ballroom.

    

Before You Leave, Check This Out