Assistant Professor Omavi Shukur published the op-ed "Arkansas’s anti-loitering law targets people — especially Black youths — just for hanging out in public" in the Arkansas Times on Feb. 19.
In Little Rock, being houseless or a Black teenager can get you a criminal record. Over 600 pages of Little Rock Police Department loitering reports from 2024 and 2025 reveal how police officers confront Black youth and poor people merely for existing in public. They also show the need to do away with anti-loitering laws and create public spaces where marginalized people can feel safe, welcomed and valued.