Apparently, there is a city in Arkansas that just can't get its shit together, so they have instituted a 24 hour curfew. I don't exactly know what that entails, but it sounds kind of stupid to begin with. You can't leave your house? Hmm...sounds fishy to me. But, what's gotten this to be news worthy, really, is the question of whether or not it is unconstitutional for the Police to stop people for violating this rule. Obviously, if there is a curfew, and you are out during the curfew, the Police can stop you. But a 24 hours curfew, well, how do you not violate that? I mean, don't these people work? Don't they go to the grocery store? Church? WalMart? I mean, it is Arkansas! How can they go a day without WalMart?! What's funny to me about all this is this quote from a resident (the Mayor):
Now, let me get this straight. "Some infringement on Constitutional rights is OK". Um, no, it really isn't. You let them get away with one thing, and the next thing you know, the Bill of Rights is out the window. But, what makes this even better is that he immediately says,"We have not violated anything as far as the Constitution". He's right, the "citizens deserve peace", but military rule just isn't the answer (unless you're Iraq, apparently). If they have a high crime rate, they need to put their effort into catching those who are responsible and leave the good citizens alone. And, no, violating the rights of the accused isn't excusable either. If you're guilty, innocent, or accused, you still have rights. Even if the right is to remain silent. What's most sad to me about this situation, is that the City Council voted unanimously for this 24 hour curfew."Now if somebody wants to sue us, they have an option to sue, but I'm fairly certain that a judge will see it the way the way the citizens see it here," Mayor James Valley said. "The citizens deserve peace, that some infringement on constitutional rights is OK and we have not violated anything as far as the Constitution."*
*Emphasis added to quotation.
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