SPRINGDALE -- Northwest Arkansas residents talked Thursday about what they see as a difference in treatment between minorities and the white majority in the criminal justice system.
"There is racial disparity in Arkansas, and we do need to fix it," said Jairo Reyes, a University of Arkansas student.
Reyes said people in the Hispanic communities feel they are treated by law enforcement differently, but he didn't know the problem remained for other minority groups.
People from various minority groups, including Latino and black, told of being followed or stopped excessively by police, ignored by police when they report crime, feeling punishments were more severe for people from minority groups and seeing children of minority races treated differently in schools. They also talked about ways to fix the problems they see during the forum at The Jones Center.
Other residents talked about how the differences in treatment might not be perceived by the majority population. The majority of people might not understand what's happening, Benton County Circuit Judge Jon Comstock said during discussions.
"It wasn't obvious to me," Comstock said.
Comstock said he never intentionally treated anyone in his court differently. He acknowledged minority groups face issues white people don't.
"I've definitely never been the target of it," Comstock said.
Statistics show racial issues remain a problem in the state's criminal justice system, said Adjoa A. Aiyetoro, associate professor of law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and director of the Criminal Justice System Research Project.
According to information handed out at the meeting, about 44 percent of incarerated people are black, even though black people make up only about 16 percent of the general population. About 52 percent of incarcerated people are white, and about 80 percent of Arkansans are white.
Aiyetoro and others hope to change those statistics and outcomes. The forum is a step in that direction, forum organizers said.
The forum is part of a series meant to promote legislation requiring a racial impact study when new legislation connected to the criminal justice system is proposed. The study would make sure legislators know about any negative impact a proposed law would have on minority communities, said Mireya Reith, executive director of Arkansas United Community Coalition.
The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, was brought up but failed to pass during the 2013 session. Proponents hope to bring the bill back in 2015, Aiyetoro said.
Senate Bill 1093 didn't attract a lot of attention the last time around, Reith said. This time, Reith hopes the meetings will spark interest, draw minority communities together, reveal the need to fight racial disparities and allow people from all regions in Arkansas to have a voice.
"It's only when we all come together that we are going to make change in our state and communities," Aiyetoro said.
NW News on 05/23/2014