FACT: One American City Moving Toward Martial Law In 2013, Approved Video

The town of Paragould, Arkansas confirmed that it will allow officers to patrol the streets with assault rifles. Officers willl also be allowed to request identification from citizens in an attempt to combat a rise in crime.

The mayor and police chief say the initiative will start in 2013.

Stovall insists that constitutional quibbles over probable cause don’t apply, because the “crisis” justifies imposition of a city-wide curfew and garrison state measures.

 Todd Stovall “Once I have stats and people are saying they’re scared, we can do this. It allows us to do what we’re fixing to do.”

Stovall says he plans for officers also to stop and ask people for ID even without any reason for stopping them.

“To ask you for your ID, I have to have a reason,” he said. “Well, I’ve got statistical reasons that say I’ve got a lot of crime right now, which gives me probable cause to ask what you’re doing out. Then when I add that people are scared…then that gives us even more [reason] to ask why are you here and what are you doing in this area.”

What Stovall and his fellow tax-feeders are “fixing to do” is to leave the city’s streets clotted with SWAT operators toting AR-15s and official permission to harass anybody who comes within eyeshot.

The marauders “are going to be in SWAT gear and have AR-15s around their neck,” grunted Stovall at a town hall meeting held last Thursday at the West View Baptist Church. “If you’re out walking, we’re going to stop you, ask why you’re out walking, check for your ID.”

“We’re going to do it to everybody,” Stovall explained, anticipating objections. “Criminals don’t like being talked to.”

The same is true of citizens, of course — but like most members of his paramilitary tribe, Stovall divides the world between enlightened agents of State “authority” such as himself and the Mundane population, which is to be intimidated into submission.

Stovall insists that constitutional quibbles over probable cause don’t apply, because the “crisis” justifies imposition of a city-wide curfew and garrison state measures.

Mayor Mike Gaskill, Police Chief Todd Stovall, and Cpl. Brad Snyder Image courtesy of fellowshipofminds.

Paragould historically has a very high burglary rate, but the violent crime rate is substantially below the national average: In 2010, the last year for which stats are available, there wasn’t a single murder in the town of roughly 26,000 people. But political elites and their enforcers are adept at manufacturing fears, and the bullet-headed militarist who heads the police department — and appears to be building his own little private army — assumes that government derives its “just” powers from whatever fears it can instill and exploit in its subjects. From Lew Rockwell Blog

UPDATE: The news coverage has prompted a statement from police defending its plans and announces town hall meetings this week.

Update #2  STOP THE POLICE STATE NOW!!!!!!  From Josh B

As America is trying to grasp the shootings of young children in one small town.

The government is about to start Marshall law in another small town with just over 26,000 in population. The crime rate there has sky rocketed and the citizen are fearful for there life.

Well that is what they want you to think. I did just a little looking up on the town of Paragould, AR in 2002 the city was booming with work, unemployment rate was less than 4%(1) and was rated the safest place to live in Arkansas (2).

Now what happened in just 10 years you must ask. Well we all know that money is harder to come by and does not go as far as it use to.

I looked at the unemployment rate for Paragould, 7 years after they were the safest place to live in Arkansas and to my surprise it rose up to 12.2%(1) with 17.99% of the town is now making less the 15,000 per year and with little to no job growth(3).

So what are they to do with no job nor money?

Lets look at the crime reports as of 2010

(4) Aggravated Assault 63, Arson 5, Burglary 526, Forcible Rape 15, Larceny and Theft 1,164, Motor Vehicle Theft 64, Murder and Manslaughter 0 ?yes none?, Robbery 8, only 86 of these were violent crimes 1,754 were property crimes.

You see the point the people are committing non violent crime to survive.

No that is not acceptable but they jobs not a Police State.

But, what is truly not acceptable is the Mayor Mike Gaskill and the Police Chief Todd Stovall want to impose Marshall Law on it citizens for non violent crimes ,that is what they told its citizens in a town hall meeting.

Stovall told the group “Police are going to be in SWAT gear and have AR-15s around their neck, and If you’re out walking, we’re going to stop you, ask why you’re out walking, check for your ID.” (What right do they have to do that?) He went on to say that “We’re going to do it to everybody,

Criminals don’t like being talked to”(Wow every citizen is a criminal now!!!) “They may not be doing anything but walking their dog,” he said. “But they’re going to have to prove it.” (If you see the dog and a leash is that proof enough that you are walking your dog or is that a new probable cause to violate your rights.)

(5) After that meeting there was to be 2 more Town meeting before this took into effect and In a statement on PPD’s website, the department said the town hall events were canceled in the interest of public safety.

(6) Was it the public safety or yours you worry about? With all this said Why as American Citizens are we standing by and letting them do this to a small town. Oh I know why. Don’t worry its not your town. {WELL NOT YET}

(1)https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z1ebjpgk2654c1_&met_y=unemployment_rate&idim=city%3ACT051005&fdim_y=seasonality%3AU&dl=en&hl=en&q=paragould+arkansas+unemployment%2F
(2)http://www.paragouldpolice.org/#
(3)http://www.bestplaces.net/economy/city/arkansas/paragould
(4)http://www.cityrating.com/crime-statistics/arkansas/paragould.html#.UNIJ5OSunMK
(5)http://www.paragoulddailypress.com/articles/2012/12/15/top_story/doc50cbbb312e241511092932.txt
(6)http://www.paragoulddailypress.com/articles/2012/12/18/top_story/doc50d08e9fb2588217300183.txt