OPINION - Editorial

Just another day in Arkansas

Tuesday was just another day in Arkansas for the people of Gravette. Customers ordered drinks at Grumpy's Coffee, residents packed umbrellas in preparation for rain, and a lone bull escaped his home and took a stroll through town.

Hard-working police spent the better part of Tuesday morning working to keep drivers and pedestrians safe as the bull took his stroll. Fortunately, he did not visit the town's china shop.

When someone thinks about becoming a police officer, they're probably prepared for late-night patrols, lots of paperwork, thankless citizens and more. But bulls on the loose? We're not entirely sure the police academy offers lessons on animal wrangling. One officer told us he didn't recall that being part of the training regimen. Animal wrangling for rural officers is probably a special skill learned in the field, passed down from senior officers to the new guys and gals.

Police in Little Rock or Memphis may be a little less experienced with this sort of thing, but officers in rural Gravette? They've dealt with goats, deer and other animals wandering through town before. When the fuzz showed up, this bull knew he'd made a misteak.

While no one has been able to figure out the bull's motives for escape, someone snapped a photo of the animal outside the Bank of Gravett. Perhaps he had to deposit some of his moo-lah, one resident suggested.

In a town of 3,200, livestock on the loose is pretty big news for the day. We're sure people at the barber shop and grocery store were hyucking it up. And in a small community like this, we'd also be willing to bet at least half the town knew the bull's owner.

Can y'all imagine how city folk in New York or Chicago would react to a bull loose on the streets? We're guessing there'd be some screaming and pointing. Maybe a couple fools would get trampled trying to take a selfie with the animal. It'd likely mean chaos for a few city blocks.

But for residents of Gravette? This was just another day in The Natural State.

Editorial on 08/16/2018

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