LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Tuesday, the Little Rock Board of Directors approved a change to the curfew in the city. That change will apply to city parks and entertainment districts and it would mean that minors would be banned between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Some of those districts, like the River Market, have been at the front of those discussions.
"It's not a problem for us necessarily, like in these four walls, but it's definitely an issue," Slade Wright, Assistant General Manager at Flying Saucer, said.
The curfew change is for juveniles, which Wright explained is a group he frequently sees in the River Market.
"Shootings happen with minors or involving minors, injuries and deaths involving minors," he said. "So it's definitely a positive step in that direction, it's a positive step for just changing the dynamic down here a little bit more."
Wright said that though the curfew change is a start, more needs to be done.
"It's a move in the right direction, but like we've discussed, it can't be the only thing we do, that's not enough," he added.
Other businesses are in support of the change.
Daniel Bryant owns two businesses in the River Market and he explained that the curfew is a great step in the right direction.
"We all sincerely appreciate the directors who, with their yes votes, chose to prioritize real people trying to protect their businesses over waiting longer to collect unspecified data or making sure Little Rock is a 'fun' city for unaccompanied minors loitering in our Entertainment District late at night," he said. "This decision isn’t only pro-business and pro safety, it is common sense policy needed to support and protect our livelihoods."
Others are less than enthused with the decision.
Willie Davis is the Director of the OK Program, which helps mentor kids. He said that the change is a step, but there could have been other choices made first.
"Bring proactive is not slamming them with a curfew, rather talk about ways or ideas for providing them with an area where they themselves can be entertained in their own entertainment district," Davis said in a statement.
Though there's no guarantee that this curfew change will make a difference, Wright explained that anything is an action that he's happy to see.
"Any movement towards anything down here, which hasn't really changed in several years, is positive," he said.