Benton County needs real jail discussions
It’s time for Benton County officials to be transparent and inclusive about our jail discussions
Our justices of the peace for Benton County recently voted to spend almost a fourth of a billion dollars on a jail and courts expansion, to be primarily financed by two sales tax proposals, both of which were soundly defeated by the voters at the Nov. 8 midterm election.
During their campaign to almost double of the size of the jail, we were told that jail inmates were “sleeping on the floor.” Yet, with that so-called emergency situation, did the JPs suggest how to actually address the immediate issue of jail overcrowding? No, they did not. Instead their only proposal was one which the expert hired by the county told them would not provide a single new bed until three years from the voters’ approval, which was not given. If these JPs really want to address the current overcrowding, they would demand that the prosecutor, public defenders, circuit judges and sheriff tell them why the jail is overcrowded. You can’t solve a problem until you understand the root of the problem.
Across the country, communities that have faced similar issues have tried to find a way to get all the proper stake-holders to talk with each other in an collaborative way to solve the problem of jail overcrowding. For Benton County, our sheriff designated himself to form such a group, called Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC), but the group he formed simply rubber-stamped the call for a new jail. There were almost no public meetings held and no real collaboration to find real solutions. It’s worth noting that when the elected prosecutor (Nathan Smith) and two elected judges (Chris Griffin and Brad Karren) did address the Quorum Court, not once did they suggest detailed ways to safely reduce the jail population. They made it clear that their No. 1 goal was to incarcerate more people of Benton County, without any regard to the destructive impact on children and families in our community.
Perhaps now that the citizens of the county (their bosses) have spoken, maybe now officials will invite informed citizens to join the CJCC in an effort to get to the root of the problem in a way that makes me and you safer. Simply expanding the number of families we disrupt with incarceration does not do that in my judgment.
Recent good news is that a subcommittee of JPs has just been formed to also study solutions. Hopefully both the subcommittee and CJCC will start having regular monthly meetings to which the public is given notice and invited to attend with a genuine opportunity to contribute to the search for solutions — not just a cursory three-minute “comment” period.
Citizens have a stake in the outcome and want to be a substantive part of the process. Will this happen?
Nicole Mozzoni
Rogers
TheatreSquared relies on cash commitments
I was glad to see your editorial in support of the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission fulfilling their long-term commitment to TheatreSquared.
You quote Commission Chairman Todd Martin as having said he didn’t see a “huge financial need” for public funding at TheatreSquared. While I am not privy to the specific finances of TheatreSquared, I know how nonprofit theaters work. They depend on a combination of ticket sales, donations and grants, with ticket sales usually comprising the smallest portion of the budget. Financial commitments such as the one the commission made allow companies like TheatreSquared to create a budget and plan for growth. If TheatreSquared expects a set amount of money from a particular group, they can hire a certain number of people, do a specific play, etc. The money that was promised by the commission may have been earmarked for the capital campaign and not for the operating budget, but if TheatreSquared is anticipating the commission to make payments toward the capital campaign, they are able to commit other money to shows and salaries, etc.
I have had the honor of being an actor in many productions at TheatreSquared. I have been around from the beginning, and I’ve seen how much time and energy and effort has gone into building not only the physical structure of the theater but the identity and the heart of it as well. I have witnessed many people come from out of town and, indeed, out of state to see these plays. I’ve witnessed that the people who see a show at TheatreSquared then eat out at restaurants on and off Dickson Street. They go shopping at local boutiques, etc. The theater is very good for the financial health of the city.
Again, I applaud you for encouraging Fayetteville’s Advertising and Promotion Commission to do the right thing and honor its commitment.
Rebecca Harris
New York
Cemetery deserves better atmosphere
I would like to echo the sentiments of Jannie Layne in the Jan. 9 letters section. As a veteran with a loved one interred at the Fayetteville National National Cemetery, I often visit the place where one day I will also be interred and I have witnesssed everything Jannie has described. Loud vulgar language along with music blasting from outdoor speakers make it impossible to have a quite, solemn visit to pay my respects. My friends and their children have been subjected to this same treatment and it’s somewhat difficult to explain to young children exactly what they are witnessing and hearing. Add to this a defunct RV and enough broken down cars to fill a car lot and you start to get the picture.
In short, this particular property is an eyesore and a cesspool that, for reasons unknown to those of us who frequent the national cemetery, is allowed to exist in this location when we all know it would never be allowed in the neighborhood of our elected officials. Is the city of Fayetteville proud of this presentation to my fellow veterans and their families when they come to town for a funeral or visit on special days of observance?
I invite the citizens of Fayetteville to take a drive or ride your bike to the national cemetery to see for yourself what Jannie and I have described. If you agree with us, pick up the phone and let the mayor and your City Council representative know. Let our fallen comrades rest in peace and let their families visit in peace.
Fayetteville is — or should be — better than this.
Lt. Col. Matthew Mendenhall
US Air Force (retired)
Springdale