LITTLE ROCK, AR — The 12th St. corridor has long been an an area of focus in the capital city. It was the location of a high-profile kidnapping and murder two summers ago.
On Tuesday, activists say recently there were three violent crimes within a 24-hour period in a two-block radius.
The activists say they want more to be done by police. But the mayor says progress is being made. On Friday, he appointed a new task force with a focus on the crime problem.
In a letter delivered to the governor Friday morning, Rev. Bennie Johnson with Arkansas Stop the Violence asked for help dealing with the high crime area.
“We’ve got a big black-on-black homicide rate,” Johnson said.
In the 12th St. corridor, Johnson says little is done about loitering in front of liquor and convenience stores.
“You see the people just hanging out drinking and drugging,” Johnson said.
Johnson says the three violent crimes noted above happened on Tuesday around the same location where college student Forrest Abrams was kidnapped and eventually killed in May of 2013.
“The ultimate objective is to reduce crime in our city,” said Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola.
On Friday, Stodola announced the creation of the Capital City Crime Prevention Task Force.
It will pull together prosecutors, judges, correction officials and others in the criminal justice system.
The mayor points out that violent crime, including homicides, are down during his tenure. And he says commitment to the 12th St. corridor is evident through a slew of projects, including the new police station.
“One of the most vexing crimes that we have are neighborhood burglaries,” Stodola said. “I know that 75 percent of people who do that have prior criminal records.”
The task force will look for solutions for reoffenders in the parole system, But Johnson is hoping for more immediate help.
“It’s getting ready to get hot,” he said. “We want to be proactive instead of reactive.”
The committee will meet monthly and issue a report on recommendations and best practices.
