First, Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin wanted to keep the public out of the state Capitol on weekends. And he'd have had his way if those with some influence, such as Gov. Asa Hutchinson, hadn't stepped in with pressure to overturn the dictate.
Now, Martin is at it again, all in the name of "security" for the incomparable 101-year-old structure that stands as the symbol for state government in the heart of downtown Little Rock. Martin has spent $16,500 on three metal, swinging gates -- not dissimilar from those used to block car access at public parks. The yellow gates were installed last week at the north and south entrances of a driveway leading up to a tunnel entrance under the Capitol steps. They'll be open weekdays, but block access on the weekends even though the Capitol will remain open for visitors.
What’s the point?
Introduction of small gates on the grounds of the state Capitol provide little security, unless the secretary of state wants to just keep law-abiding Arkansans out.
For as long as any Arkansan can remember, the state Capitol has been an easily accessible place, a building where residents can go without feeling like intruders. A visit to the Capitol ought to be on every Arkansans' bucket list, for it is a grand structure worthy of the state and the people it represents. The Capitol's accessibility has long symbolized the nature of Arkansas government: part-time lawmakers who are just like the rest of us, governors who are fairly easy for Arkansans to communicate with, and a lack of pretentiousness or superiority among the elected over the represented.
But Martin, whose office is responsible for the Capitol building's maintenance and security, seems intent on creating barriers to the public. The reason is the post-9/11, ubiquitous "security concerns."
Such concerns are not misplaced. That building deserves to be taken care of, along with the people who come and go at the heart of state government. But when it comes to security, these gates hardly provide it.
Many Arkansans have more robust gates to keep their cattle contained.
The small gates aren't going to stop anyone intent on harm. State Capitol Police Chief Darrell Hedden, asked which vehicles the gates were designed to stop, said "All of them." In reality, the gates will only stop people who behave courteously, within established boundaries for behavior.
But Hedden says ""You wouldn't want to try to run your car through them," ostensibly warning of the damage the gates would do. But if some radicalized person is determined to do harm at the Capitol, would the threat of a broken grill and scratched paint thwart those plans? Even if they did, these are only small gates. Someone who doesn't care about following the rules can simply drive around them on the grass.
The gates are not significant enough to be a serious deterrent to terrorism. At best, they're symbolic, an installment that allows Martin's office to tout the addition of security measures. But they stand as barriers only to already law-abiding people.
To rely on them for serious security is to expect terrorists to operate on the honor system.
Security at the state Capitol is only marginally different as a result of Martin's gates.
As is his frequent practice, Martin also took these steps quietly without giving the public or other state leaders much of a chance to weigh in. It's one more piece of evidence he had little regard for what the public thinks.
These gates, even if barriers are needed, are ineffective.
Maybe Martin has longer-term plans to block the drive with a Ten Commandments monument.
Terrorists didn't attack the World Trade Center on a weekend.
Commentary on 12/01/2016