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Tag Archives: Gould Arkansas

Another follow-up regarding the Constitution loving folks on the Gould, AR City Council

Earlier this week we told you about the city council in Gould, Arkansas which has basically passed an ordinance banning the 1st Amendment. It should also be noted that the mayor, Earnest Nash strongly opposes the ordinance and refuses to sign it. Simply put, Nash is one of the good guys. He was also assaulted because he opposed this ordinance. The two stories we ran on Gould can be found here and here.

I told you I wouldn’t be letting this one go and would continue following up and updating this story. The reporter covering this story emailed me last night with the details to date. Here is the text of that email:

Here’s the whole background:

We have been covering this story since the beginning, when the Gould City Council passed ordinances into law forbidding a citizens group (the Gould Citizens Advisory Council or GCAC) from meeting. Among other things, the ordinances were written to ban that group and any other group from meeting to discuss city business without council approval. Another ordinance bans the mayor, Mr. Earnest Nash, from meeting with anyone to discuss city business without council approval. The mayor immediately vetoed the ordinances but the council overrode the veto and the laws are now on the books. We covered the ordinances to show what many are calling violations of the First Amendment, and ever since that first story, I’ve only seen an increase in animosity between mayor supporters and city council supporters.

Since then, the GCAC has filed a lawsuit against two city council members. Not for the ordinances, but for their positions on the council being in violation of the Arkansas Constitution. One has a criminal record, one lives in a different ward than she represents.

I was in town, last Thursday, covering the lawsuit. It was obvious people living in the Gould community were getting heated. Thursday night, after my photographer and I were back in Little Rock and working on the story, I got a phone call from the mayor. He told me he had just been attacked by city council members and their families, and he was on his way to the hospital. The mayor told me he had just been pistol-whipped by a city council member’s brother, so we packed up in a live truck and headed back to Gould – 90 minutes away – calling city council members for confirmation the entire time. Finally, council member Harry Hall called me back asking why I was on my way back to Gould. I asked him if he knew anything about an altercation with the mayor. He told me he saw the whole thing, but wasn’t involved. He originally agreed to do an interview about what he saw, but then changed his mind after I heard people in the background start yelling.

When we showed up for the interview, the scene at city hall was already a pretty high-strung environment – with about 50 people arguing either the side of the mayor or the side of the city council. We were just in newscast mode and too focused with getting on air as soon as possible to worry about anything else. During the live interview with the mayor, I saw a silver car pull up in the background. Council member Sonya Farley got out of the car – telling me I need to know the truth – and then our live truck died. State police on scene to investigate – along with Gould police – walked her away, but she continued to say we need to know the truth. As you’ve seen in the video, photographer Matt Rowe kept rolling – capturing everything that followed. Citizens yelling, Mayor Nash saying Farley was at the attack, his attacker had been in that car, just tons of chaos. We got the truck working, let everyone at the station know we were ok, fed the video back and got out of there – as police asked.

Friday we returned to find Ms. Farley and learn what she meant when she got out of the car. Less than 24 hours had passed, and suddenly she didn’t want to talk. She barricaded herself inside a locked community center and refused to talk to us. We waited for her to leave and asked her questions as she walked to her car. Still, no comment.

I’m staying on this story until the end and seeing it through. There’s a lot of attention on Gould right now, and although we aren’t always welcome, we will keep going back until this book is finished. Tuesday, the city council meets again.  Members tell me they plan to rewrite the ordinances, but not repeal them.  We’ll see what happens.

The mayor hasn’t filed any charges yet.  State police tell me they’ll be finished with the investigation any time between tonight and Tuesday.  Interesting stuff.

I hope this helps!  Please let me know if I can do anything else for you.  All of the stories I’ve done on Gould are also up on our website, www.fox16.com.  Just search “Gould”.

Thanks again, and tell Minnesota I miss her!  It was 113 degrees down here yesterday!  UGH!!!

Katherine

FOLLOW UP WITH VIDEO: Mayor of Gould, AR pistol whipped, then assaulted during interview by council members

We told you earlier today about the Gould, AR city council that is essentally banning the 1st Amendment and Mayor Earnest Nash is refusing to sign off on something so unconstitutional, and he got pistol whipped for his opposition, then during an interview shortly after the assault, two communist city councilors began to attempt another assault on the mayor.

from Fox 16:

GOULD, AR – Gould Mayor Earnest Nash was attacked Thursday evening. Nash tells FOX16 he was pistol whipped, and the incident was the culmination of months of harassment against him and his family.

The tensions go back to January, when the new members of the Gould city council took office. Recently, those tensions gained national attention when the city council passed an ordinance banning all public and private meetings discussing any city matters within the city limits.

The unconstitutional ordinance was aimed at the Gould Citizens Advisory Council. On Tuesday, the Advisory Council filed a lawsuit against council members Harry Hall and Rosieanna Smith, challenging their eligibility to serve on the city council–Hall for his criminal record in Jefferson County, and Smith because she allegedly does not live in the Ward she represents.

Later that day Mayor Nash was attacked. Nash tells FOX16 that the attack was perpetrated by a Gould citizen who supports council members who Nash frequently clashes with. Nash had to go the hospital in Dumas to be treated for his injuries.

I got a hold of the reporter from Little Rock that covered this story and she told me the issue is still not resolved and would keep me informed. So LML will follow up on this as developments unfold.

Gould, AR City Council Moves To Ban The 1st Amendment

I’m a little late bringing this one up, I have some follow-up to do but the city council not the mayor, the mayor is against this ordinance and refuses to sign it in to law, but the council approved an ordinance that basically bans the 1st Amendment. This is incredible and it’s happening right here in the United States.

If this thing is still being pushed, I urge and advocate the citizens to do what must be done, and is their obligation. Overthrow the city council, by force if necessary. Take those people on the council in your custody, not police custody, and you try them, not the courts, and when you find them guilty. Hang them. Yes. I am serious. And it is your obligation as a citizen.

Part of that ordinance states that you may not discuss city business at the dinner table inside your own home. Are you kidding me? No. I’m not. Watch:

A hat tip goes out to usa.goooh.com. The original story was posted on July 22nd, we will be following up on this story, I already have an update that will post a little later.