I'm Your Constable - Frank Gilbert Big Rock Constable

I'm Frank Gilbert, and I'm your Constable

I have been sworn in and have begun my service as Constable of Big Rock Township (Pulaski County south of the Arkansas River). It is my sincere desire to conduct myself in a way that will be pleasing to both my constituents and my God. Your prayers and support are sincerely requested.

Let me encourage you to contact me at any time if you need my help or wish to be of help by calling 501 204-0425.

As Big Rock Constable, I meet with and listen to anyone or any group that wants to work to make our communities better places to live. I work with anyone working to bring about positive results in Little Rock.

I am not into partisan politics. I’ve been elected to local offices once as a Republican, twice as an Independent and now twice as a Libertarian. Party labels don’t mean much to me. In truth, I fear that political parties make things more difficult by dividing us.

I previously served as Coroner of Grant County, Mayor of Tull, and Constable of Dekalb Township.

As a constable, I don’t try to be a supercop or any other kind of cop. I just try to help my neighbors. Essentially, I believe that everyone has a right to live their lives as they see fit, so long as they do not violate the rights of others. If there is no victim, there is no crime.

Let’s talk.

Frank Gilbert:
501 204-0425

Monthly Report

Training

The Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards & Training provides hundreds of online classes on topics related to police authority and operations. I have completed 102 hours of this training.

Transportation

In October I was able to conduct 51 transports to and from work and for medical and legal appointments. If you are, or someone you know is, struggling to find transportation, please call me at the number below.

Broken Windows Policing WITHOUT Police

The work of the Homelessness and Indigency Project continues to focus on a simple but important proposition: our communities can address many of the conditions that affect public order and quality of life without relying exclusively on police intervention. The objective is not to diminish the important role of law enforcement. Rather, it is to identify those problems that can—and should—be addressed through other community resources, cooperation, accountability, and practical problem-solving.

Homelessness and Indigency

The plight of individuals who are homeless or indigent varies dramatically. It appears to me that the vast majority are victims of circumstances. Some of those are self-inflicted, but many are outside the individuals’ ability to control or correct. A small minority of the homeless, in my experience, suffer from mental illness.

Identifying them is the first step toward improving their lives. Another small minority are, I believe, grifters who prey on the kind nature and charity of others to make a living in a way that is outside the law. Our job, as citizens, is to help city and county officials determine how to proceed in these situations.

Code Enforcement and Community Conditions

I received a request for help from an individual who indicated that he and others in his neighborhood
had been cited for violations by Code Enforcement, but were unable to correct the violations in the time period allowed. A brief conversation with the Code Enforcement Officer at the local Resource Center was enlightening. If you find yourself in this situation, call or visit your Resource Center. They can help in many circumstances. If you don’t know where your Center is, give me a call. I’ll be happy to go with you to meet them.

Listening Tour

It would be a pleasure to meet with you and hear about the things that concern you. Contact me at any time. I want to hear from you and help in any way that I can.

Contact me by phone or email.

501 204-0425
Frank@FrankGilbert.org

What Are We Doing?

A Lady is living in the open air on the south side of Markham Street, in the park. She is prone on the ground with her belongings in a shopping cart and scattered nearby. She is clearly visible to thousands of people who drive by each day.

I saw her the afternoon of January 9th and parked at the city facilities a couple of hundred yards from her campsite. When I announced myself from about 20 feet away, she rose quickly and easily to her feet and greeted me in English with only a very faint oriental accent. For a few minutes we conversed about the weather before I turned the conversation to my concern. Why did she choose to live outside in the winter?

Her first response seemed to indicate that the Almighty had mandated that she do so. As I explored that with her, it became clear that she had been to court and probably been charged with trespass. Even then, it was not clear whether her aversion to sleeping in a building was mandated by His Honor or the Almighty.

When our conversation turned to the possibility of her going to a women’s shelter it became clear that she did not wish to sleep in any enclosed space. Or maybe I misunderstood her. Perhaps she is not sure why she is where she is.

In any case, she had no interest in seeking shelter in any of the facilities available to indigents, so we talked about her other needs. She is running short of water and would like to have a bottle of Coke. Or
Mountain Dew. She expressed no desire for food. She told me she had no money, but never asked for any.

After that, she shared with me that she had been assaulted recently. She didn’t know why the man attacked her, but was glad that a bystander had reported it and Little Rock Police arrested her assailant. She seemed unconcerned that it might happen again. Since I had neither water nor Coke we parted ways agreeing to pray for each other.

According to a statement made by a city employee at a neighborhood association meeting I attended last year, they do not interfere with folks camping on public property – even sidewalks. It is clear that they have the authority to do so. A recent Supreme Court decision (City of Grants Pass v. Johnson) opened the way for cities to end the practice of public camping.

The city has no obligation to enforce a ban on camping. They seem to think that it is a kindness to allow homeless residents to sleep on the ground in public places. I am convinced that it is not. It is easier than the alternatives, but I believe it is cruel to allow indigents to be exposed to violence and the elements in summer heat and frigid winter weather.

This was Roosevelt Road at Interstate 30 yesterday (1/14/25) on the east side. Folks exiting or entering I-30 West saw this. I passed by it again this morning and it remains a mess. Some of the carts are moved, but it remained an unsightly eyesore.

That exit is a good shortcut to the airport for anyone coming from the north or west. Continuing on the Interstate you have to take the I-530/I-440 exit, then exit again on I 440, take exit 3 and wind your way down Roosevelt from the other side to Airport Road. Only THEN you will intersect Roosevelt again after it made a much shorter path to that intersection.

Taking Roosevelt will save you miles and give you some up-close-and-personal views of the airport and departing/landing flights. But it will NOT impress visitors to Little Rock.

A few days ago I posted a picture of a young lady living, open-air, in the park on Markham Street. Her plight is heart breaking. She has been physically assaulted living on the streets of our city. She has been hauled into court for a trespass. She isn’t allowed to have a tent (for some unknown reason).

I think most of us see her (and hundreds of others struggling like her) as a sympathetic victim of her condition and circumstances she can’t control. We struggle with her individual rights as a human being and the community standards that most of us have to meet.

There is no doubt that private property looking like the corner of Roosevelt and Interstate 30, or the park where she was living when I talked to her could expect a visit from Code Enforcement.

My first concern is with the individuals who are trapped in circumstances that lead to them living in conditions that are abhorrent. They deserve better and they deserve our respect as we try to make things better for them.

But there are secondary considerations. Equity matters too. When the government applies different standards to different people there has to be a GOOD reason. Public health and safety and community standards should not be applied to homeowners, businesses and some residents and ignored for others.