EUDORA, Ark. — Murders, break-ins, and shootings are the causes of a mandatory curfew issued earlier this week in the Chicot County town of Eudora.
Thursday night, city officials explained why since Tuesday they’ve been stopping and searching people between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM each night.
City of Eudora enforces curfew due to community violence
The people of Eudora came out strong at the emergency meeting united against violence but divided over how to fight it.
“I believe the curfew is a must,” Alilesha Henderson said.
Her neighbor Dorothy Benner argued, “I don’t think it’s fair.”
Mayor Tomeka Butler declared a mandatory civil emergency curfew on the city Facebook page Tuesday, warning anyone caught loitering or out past eight could be stopped and searched.
“My decision was not to violate the rights of any people,” Mayor Butler insisted during the meeting.
“We don’t anyone’s life to be taken” she continued. “This is home, and if we can’t be safe home what are we doing…This has to stop. We need a solution.”
Following the mayor, Eudora Police Chief Mike Pitts explained the curfew was issued because of string of shootings resulting in two murders in 2022. The first occurred early in the year on Pine Street. The latest happened at the Chicot Apartments on Christmas Eve.
“People lose their lives. Innocent kids being hit by bullets and it’s kids that are doing it,” Chief Pitts described. “Until we get Justice for that and until we get Justice for people whose homes have been violated, we are not going to rest.
The small town of Eudora has a posted population of 1700 people. Chief Pitts said two murders in one year is not how he remembers his small town.
“I know in bigger cities, larger cities, that sound like peanuts for a big city, but here, in a small community,” the chief explained. “It’s unfathomable.”
During the meeting some people voiced resistance to the strong approach to curb crime.
“I’m not going to stay locked up in my house,” a man shouted.
“We as a community need to stand up,” Alilesha Henderson countered.
Henderson’s home was also shot on Christmas eve. She has not returned since because the spray of gunfire almost hit her six-year-old son.
“Sitting down, playing his PS5 he got for Christmas and almost took a bullet to the head,” she remembered. “You have 13, 14, 15, 16-year-olds carrying AR-15’s
Dorothy Benner was walking home Thursday evening trying to avoid the curfew. She argues with the curfew as the sun sets on Eudora, so do her liberties.
“Everybody is not out here doing violence. We’ve got to go in though,” Dorothy stated. “We might not be able to go out to the store because some of us do not have vehicles.”
However, Alilesha the city leadership believes the curfew should stay in place as long as it makes a difference.
“I believe that if they hadn’t shut the city down, there would be way more gun violence than we’ve already experienced, so the current curfew was very necessary,” Alilesha Henderson concluded.
City officials say because of the curfew already one arrest has been made with a stolen gun recovered. The curfew was extended by the Eudora aldermen Thursday night until at least January third.000
They urge anyone with information on gun crimes in their town to contact the Arkansas State Police at 501-618-8850. You can also report anonymously online with the Arkansas State Police crime tip form.
