PINE BLUFF, Ark. (KTHV) -- Battle lines were drawn inside the Pine Bluff City Council chambers, and the positions of the council and the mayor were clear. The public was willing to stand on both sides of the line, but residents showed just as much anger during Tuesday night’s council meeting as their elected officials.
Insults and emotional speeches were plentiful during the meeting because of two agenda items: overriding Mayor Debe Hollingsworth’s veto of a separate animal control department, and rescinding medals awarded to police officers who were involved in the shooting death of Monroe Isadore.
“This police action created an open wound in this community,” said Dorothy Oliver, a vice president of the Pine Bluff chapter of the NAACP.
The killing of Monroe Isadore by police officers in 2013 still hurts people in Pine Bluff. Isadore had a gun, but he was 107 years old and was in his bedroom by himself. Some of the police officers who were involved were given lifesaving medals of valor.
“The police that receive awards get them because it’s deserved,” Pine Bluff resident Mary Jo McCord told the council. “They put their lives on the line for each of us every day. Yes, even you, Miss Walker.”
Alderwoman Thelma Walker put on the council agenda a resolution to take those medals away from the officers. A handful of people spoke before the council about the issue, and most supported Walker.
“The embarrassment and the insult that the mayor that the Mayor Hollingsworth and the Chief (Jeff) Hubanks have brought upon this city is sickening, and is irreprehensible,” Sam Whitfield stated.
Mayor Hollingsworth said she knew about the medals, but did not approve them and did not need to. She and Walker got into an argument about whether the mayor actually cared about the city she runs. During time allotted for committee reports, Walker asked Hollingsworth repeatedly if she cared about Pine Bluff. Hollingsworth tried to get her to talk about her committee, but she refused.
“Well, do you have anything more to discuss?” Hollingsworth asked.
“Yes,” Walker replied. “That I’m assuming that you do not care, since you didn’t answer.”
“I’m not answering to you,” Hollingsworth stated.
“Oh, no,” Walker responded, “you’re not answering to anyone!”
The council voted unanimously to rescind the officers’ medals.
They tried and failed to overturn the mayor’s veto. The council passed a resolution two weeks ago calling for animal control responsibilities to be taken away from the police department and put in the hands of an independent director. A couple days later, Hollingsworth vetoed their decision, saying in part that the council gave the wrong reasons for making the change.
She argued again Tuesday that police officers are the best people to send to animal control calls.
“When an officer goes out, and is trained properly, they can look at that animal and tell where there is abuse,” she claimed. “If there’s a certain type of abuse with the animal, that is early detection of domestic violence.”
Several council members wanted to make the change because of an instance of violence committed by a police officer. An officer shot and killed a pig that some people claim was a family pet. Hubanks, who did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, has said the pig was feral, and as such, the officer had choice but to kill it.
Alderman George Stepps referenced a couple of recent murders when he argued for relieving them of their animal control duties. “As it was brought up earlier about the number of deaths here,” he said, “maybe we need all our police officers out there in the streets!”
Five council members voted to override the mayor’s veto, but six votes were required. Aldermen Bill Brumett and Glen Brown Jr. sided with the mayor, and Alderman Charles Boyd was absent from Tuesday night’s meeting.