AR Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
County Problems Need Citizen Attention
Free Community Cookout in West Fork!
THURSDAY Oct 28, 6:00-8:00 pm, West Fork Riverside Park
Re-scheduled cookout after that lovely fall rain that came at just the wrong time! Please join us for deep conversation on the real needs in the community. Washington County Quorum Court has made questionable decisions about how to spend your covid relief money. Come to the cookout to tell them what you and your neighbors really need.
What does the Court majority want to do with it? > Big raises for Justices and the county lawyer (who’s chair of the WashCo Republican Party), > Pay off loans for a private subdivision in a Justice’s district, > $500,000 to design an enlarged jail and juvenile attention center, among other questionable things. >Give important raises to county employees from covid money when they have money from other funds that could be used.
Then there’s limiting public comment, cutting off JPs who are not in the majority party by shutting down their mics, disinterest in proposals that feed or house people, and reducing budgets for youth court and public defenders without consulting the affected department heads… This Court has a lot to answer for. You don’t want to go into the next election season without knowing the score. Too much is at stake.
The conversations at the first 4 cookouts have been OUTSTANDING. The Farmington cookout had about 30 attenders with JP Dennis (representing Farmington on the Court) and JP Dennis (West Fork), and the Farmington Mayor and a city counselperson attended. Thank JP Dennis for listening if you see him.
This money is intended for direct housing assistance, small business assistance, job creation, infrastructure and education. Do you want this covid relief fund spent on a jail? Is that the most helpful way the county can conceive of spending this resource? Apparently so.
The Quorum Court needs to hear from the people!
The Arkansas Criminal Justice Reform Coalition wants people to have a chance to talk to their JPs (Justices of the Peace) in our county.
The next cookout is to be announced soon. Find out what has been happening and what you can do to get REAL help for people of your community.
Please join us for a delicious cookout. Feed your family and let our Fayetteville county representatives (JPs) know how YOU’D like to have YOUR $23mm rescue money spent.