Pine Bluff extends 9 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew

PINE BLUFF — An emergency curfew implemented by Mayor Shirley Washington over the weekend was extended through June 30 by the Pine Bluff City Council in a special meeting Monday night.

The meeting was convened in the banquet hall of the Pine Bluff Convention Center to allow enough room for council members, city employees and members of the media to maintain at least a 6-foot distance. Members of the public were not allowed to attend because of coronavirus concern, but the meeting was live-streamed on the city’s Facebook page.

The impetus for the 9 p.m.5 a.m. curfew, Washington told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, was an inordinate number of people that she observed over the weekend out in public who were not practicing the recommended social distancing, and whom she feared were potentially putting themselves and other people at risk of contracting covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

“We monitored the activity in the city and people were adhering to the order to stay inside that we were doing to help reinforce what the governor was doing across the state to stop the spread of the virus, and initially everybody seemed to be staying in,” Washington said. “But over the last weekend, I think on Friday, there were a lot of kids coming out. I guess they had gotten cabin fever, I don’t know, but there were a lot of people out. They were everywhere.”

Washington issued the curfew to take effect Sunday night for 48 hours, but she said it required action by the council to extend it.

Several council members had questions about how the ordinance is to be enforced and expressed concerns that people out during the curfew hours for legitimate reasons might be caught up in enforcement efforts.

“When someone is pulled over and they’re en route to work past the curfew, if the officer knows they are going to work, is there an issue?” asked Council Member Joni Alexander.

“If they are driving going to work, heading to the grocery store, and abiding by the law, they aren’t even going to be stopped,” Washington said, as Police Chief Kelvin Sergeant nodded in agreement. “When people are taking care of basic, essential business, they will not be bothered.”

Council Member Steven Mays asked how police would handle people congregating in liquor store parking lots, which Sergeant said would not be allowed.

“Based on the governor’s proclamation, if you are going to the liquor store and being served through the window, that’s just like going to a restaurant and being served through the window,” Sergeant said. “But as far as going inside the establishment or loitering in front of it, that would not be allowed.”

The ordinance, which took effect immediately, imposes a curfew from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. daily through June 30, when the council may consider extending it. It imposes an additional curfew from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. each day, on juveniles through age 17, which is already in effect permanently on school days by regular city ordinance.

Exemptions to the nighttime ordinance include commuting to or from work or a place of business, shopping for groceries or gasoline, caring for a family member, seeking medical assistance or contact with local, state, or federal emergency services, traveling to or from a location outside the city, or in performance of work duties.

Violations could result in a fine from $100 to $1,000 and/ or up to 30 days in jail.

Sergeant told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the purpose of the ordinance is not punitive, but to make people aware of the dangers of unrestrained public contact and to enforce compliance if necessary.

“We’re not going to be stopping people trying to find out what you’re doing,” he said. “But if you’re loitering in certain places, sitting around in parking lots, those people we will warn and ask them to go home or whatever, and if it continues, we’ll start enforcing it.”

Little Rock recently instituted a curfew of its own, which Police Lt. Michael Ford said is intended to educate people of the need to stay indoors rather than to force compliance. He said that since the curfew was implemented, police have warned drivers who are stopped for other violations but have not stopped anyone for driving past curfew.

“We’re more about enforcement as a last resort,” Ford said. “We’re going to try to educate, try to let them know what we’re trying to do and why we’re trying to do it, and then, if we have to enforce it, we’ll take that step.”

Ford said the main goal of the curfew is to curb large public gatherings around the city.