For those who may not have read “American Carnage—the new landscape of opioid addiction” an article by Christopher Caldwell in the April issue of “First things” magazine, I recommend it. On many levels, Caldwell's book is discouraging, but in illuminating the reality of what communities are facing today and must prepare for, he does all of us a favor. There is hope, he says, when proactive communities like Pawtucket, RI and Little Rock, AR have proactively confronted local addiction … [Read more...]

In the early morning hours of July 1, gunfire, believed to be gang related, broke out at the Power Ultra Lounge nightclub, in downtown Little Rock. Twenty-five men and women were wounded and taken to local hospitals. And all have survived. It immediately brought to mind the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida a year ago when twenty-nine year old security guard Omar Mateen slaughtered 49 people and wounded 58 more in the name of Allah. On a recent oppressively hot summer day, I … [Read more...]

Rap singer, Ricky Hampton, who performs as “Finese 2Tymes,” was doing his act at the Power Ultra Lounge in Little Rock early Saturday morning when the shooting began. It came from several sources in the packed downtown club, and before it was over there were 28 injured, many of them on the way to Little Rock hospitals. There were no fatalities, but one victim remains in the hospital in serious condition. In addition to reports in the local media, the event attracted coverage from Fox, CNN, … [Read more...]

“It happened again. Devastatingly again. One of us lost his son. And not just lost him but lost him in a way that didn’t have to happen. We’re still grieving the loss. We’re still wringing our hands and looking to our own kids hoping, wishing, praying that we don’t lose them. It didn’t have to happen.” Steve Straessle, principal of Catholic High School in Little Rock, wrote these moving words about the tragic death of Patrick Clemmons, six years ago. “The boy,” Straessle said, “was a … [Read more...]

Be warned small town America. Big city drug dealers of opioids and other drugs have their eye on you. “It’s not personal,” as Michael Corleone of the Godfather family might put it. “It’s strictly business.” He’s got a point. It’s a good marketing strategy for drug dealers and with lower risk. These days, local police are having to track dealers all over the map often with no success. The fact is, we can no more shut down drug dealers than we could shut down the bootleggers of the … [Read more...]