/news-archive/tag/wrightsville/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Mon, 22 Jul 2019 13:48:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2019/07/22/wrightsville-fire-cnn-podcast/ Mon, 22 Jul 2019 13:48:46 +0000 /news/?p=74790 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock professors featured in CNN docuseries investigating tragic Wrightsville fire that left 21 black boys dead]]> On March 5, 1959, a horrific fire broke out at the Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, just 12 miles south of Little Rock, that left 21 children, ages 13 to 17, dead.听 Around 4 a.m., the fire started, and 69 African-American boys were padlocked into their dormitory with no way out. What followed was a harrowing struggle for survival, as the boys fought and clawed their way out by prying off mesh metal screens to escape out two windows. It鈥檚 a significant event that has largely been forgotten in Arkansas鈥檚 turbulent racial history, according to Dr. John Kirk, director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity and Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History. 鈥淭丑别 put the Wrightsville fire tragedy in perspective of the wider context of post-World War II race relations and what was happening in Little Rock and Arkansas at that time,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淭丑别 1957 desegregation crisis at Central High School has represented the landscape of race relations during that period. The Wrightsville fire took place just a few years after that and is often overlooked.鈥�听 In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Wrightsville fire, CNN created its first-ever original audio immersion . Narrated by CNN Tonight anchor Don Lemon, tells the story of one of the deadliest fires in Arkansas鈥檚 history. 鈥淭hat fire extinguished the lives of 21 boys-48 barely escaped-after being padlocked inside their dorm room at a reform school,鈥� the podcast website states. 鈥淪ixty years later, through comprehensive reporting, bombshell interviews of experts, one survivor, and three sisters who lost their brothers in the fire, CNN examines what happened that dreadful night, and in the day following reveals how the state handles the investigation.鈥� Two 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock professors, Kirk and Dr. Brian Mitchell, assistant professor of history, were featured as experts in the podcast series that ran June 24-28. 鈥淔rom the local level to the national level and beyond, our research is being used by different users in lots of different ways, even by major news organizations like CNN. This shows how our research is making an impact in the world,鈥� Kirk said. After the fire, it was revealed that the children had been living in subpar conditions. 鈥淭o call it a boys industrial school is a major misnomer,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 really a school. It was a penal work farm. Most of the children were jailed for petty offenses like theft, vagrancy, and truancy. At the time of the fire, there was very little education going on. Instead, the children were exploited for their labor and were kept in deplorable conditions.鈥� After the tragedy, 14 of the children were buried in a mass grave at the Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock. Their bodies were so badly burned that they could not be identified. Following an investigation, a Pulaski County grand jury found that many individuals and agencies were responsible for the fire. They placed blamed on everyone from the school鈥檚 superintendent and staff, board of directors, the state鈥檚 governor and General Assembly, and the people of Arkansas. Yet, no criminal charges were ever filed. 鈥淲e may never know the truth since most of those involved are now deceased and the reports and documents created by the state maintain that the fire was not intentional,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淲e can always hope that some revealing document or report will lead us to a clearer understanding of the cause of the fire.鈥� While family members and historians are still searching for the truth of what happened the night of the Wrightsville fire, Mitchell is grateful to CNN for putting the spotlight on the event and hopes the publicity will encourage people with information to come forward. 鈥淐NN did an excellent job of shedding light on a little-discussed chapter in Arkansas history,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 believe that by shedding light on the incident CNN has increased the chances that those who might know more about the incident or possess records might come forward.鈥�]]> /news-archive/2018/02/14/assistant-chief-smith-becomes-first-ua-little-rock-officer-complete-fbi-national-academy/ Wed, 14 Feb 2018 22:49:32 +0000 /news/?p=69411 ... Assistant Chief Smith becomes first 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock officer to complete FBI National Academy]]> After 23 years on the job, Assistant Chief Johnny Smith, 52, of Little Rock, has become a familiar presence on campus, earning the moniker of 鈥淥fficer Friendly鈥� for his upbeat, polite attitude while protecting the university community.听 鈥淚 love the environment, the community, and the students, faculty, and staff at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have students that have come back after 20 years and ask if I am still here. The students sometimes call me Officer Friendly because that is how we treat everybody. The place has become home.鈥� Smith has become the first police officer from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to complete the prestigious , a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement managers nominated by their agency heads because of demonstrated leadership qualities. President Donald Trump gave the commencement speech at his Dec. 15, 2017, graduation ceremony at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. The 11-week program鈥攚hich provides coursework in intelligence theory, terrorism and terrorist mindsets, management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication, and forensic science鈥攕erves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide. 鈥淚t was a privilege and honor for me to nominate Assistant Chief Johnny Smith to attend the FBI National Academy,鈥� Chief Regina Carter said. 鈥淢y goal when I was appointed as chief was to make sure our department gets the recognition it deserves and to make sure my officers achieve the level of success that I know they have within them. Smith is bringing back strong leadership skills that he learned at the academy and some new training that we can implement at the organizational level.鈥� Smith is thankful to Carter for the opportunity to attend the FBI National Academy. “Chief Carter is dedicated to making sure the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Police Department is up to date with the latest training,” Smith said. “She is always supportive of officers being trained to the best of their abilities and encourages us to bring that training back to share with the community. She herself has attended the Arkansas Leader Training Program, which is the prerequisite to going to the FBI National Academy. Chief Carter and I have known each other for more than 20 years, and I couldn’t ask for a better chief.” Smith has served with the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Police Department since 1994, and he is currently pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice as well. Smith is married and the father of two sons. He began his career in law enforcement as a cadet with the Little Rock Police Department in 1984 and 1985 and later worked as an officer with the Wrightsville Police Department from 1990 to 1994. 鈥淭丑别 FBI Academy is one of the biggest accomplishments that any law enforcement supervisor can receive,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚 have been on the waiting list for four years. Only two people from Arkansas get selected out of the entire state to attend the academy.鈥� Smith earned 17 college credits at the academy and learned skills in leadership, public speaking, media relations, leading at-risk employees, and fitness in law enforcement, even developing a physical fitness and nutrition program for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Police Department.听 Smith鈥檚 fondest memories come from completion of the final test of the academy. Known as the 鈥淵ellow Brick Road,鈥� the fitness test is a grueling 6.1-mile run through a hilly, wooded trail built by the Marines. Along the way, the participants must climb over walls, run through creeks, jump through simulated windows, scale rock faces with ropes, crawl under barbed wire in muddy water, and maneuver across a cargo net. When (and if) the students complete this difficult test, they receive an actual yellow brick to memorialize their achievement. 鈥淭丑别 week before the challenge, I hurt my knee playing water polo,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t had swollen to a huge size, but nobody was going to stop me from running the Yellow Brick Road. I was in a lot of pain, but I was determined to do it. One guy broke his ankle but still completed the course. It鈥檚 just that important.鈥� The greatest asset Smith received from his time at the FBI National Academy is the friendships he built with his graduating class. 鈥淭丑别 academy had 224 men and women from the U.S. and 24 men and women from other countries,鈥� he said. 鈥淭丑别y are like brothers and sisters for life. There were 17 university police chiefs there that I can ask for advice. I now have friends in different states and agencies. It鈥檚 a great tool.鈥� Following graduation, each officer has the opportunity to join the FBI National Academy Associates, Inc., a dynamic organization of more than 16,000 law enforcement professionals who actively work to continue developing higher levels of competency, cooperation, and integrity across the law enforcement community. Now back in Little Rock, Smith is looking forward to implementing the skills he learned at the FBI National Academy to better serve the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community. 鈥淭his is what it is all about, to take all the leadership skills and training we learned and to bring it back,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t makes you a better leader and gives you better training so you can train your supervisors to be better. It gives you tools you can use to be a better law enforcement provider. I鈥檓 proud to be a 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock police officer,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚 enjoy being out here. I will continue to serve, and I look forward to making our police department and community better and safer.鈥� ]]>