Little Rock mayor’s order makes vehicle caravans a no-no in city

LITTLE ROCK — Participating in a vehicle caravan for recreational purposes is now a misdemeanor in Little Rock because large gatherings will exacerbate the covid-19 public health crisis, according to an executive order from Mayor Frank Scott Jr.

People who travel in groups of vehicles of five or more to any location in Little Rock with the intention of exiting those vehicles for recreational purposes — purposes other than work, medical visits or grocery shopping — can be charged with a misdemeanor for disorderly conduct if they don’t disperse when asked to do so by law enforcement, City Attorney Tom Carpenter said Tuesday.

The prohibition doesn’t apply to funeral processions.

Little Rock has a curfew in place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and has closed city buildings and recreational facilities.

Scott said he issued the order in response to several large gatherings over the weekend.

Images and videos of a “corona parade,” as some posts circulating on social media called it, showed lines of vehicles and large numbers of people together. A statement from Scott on Monday referenced crowds at an intersection near South University Avenue.

“We have to move from education to engagement, and now towards enforcement,” Scott said Tuesday. “This virus is not a game.”

The mayor added there were other gatherings that didn’t appear on social media.

“What happened on one side of town may have happened on another,” Scott said.

Police Chief Keith Humphrey will work with other law enforcement agencies to carry out the mayor’s directive.

“We recognize the seriousness of what happened, and so we are going to continually work on and provide more details tomorrow,” Humphrey said Tuesday.

Arkansas State Police also will help Little Rock police enforce the restrictions by providing help from troopers, spokesman Bill Sadler said.

Sadler said state police have a history of working with the Little Rock police “upon their request for patrol assistance or if there’s an unruly crowd they want disbursed [by] providing additional personnel to take charge of the situation.”

“Right now, that’s the only thing that’s transpired. The mayor made it clear that he won’t tolerate that type of behavior,” Sadler said.

More answers will come shortly as law enforcement agencies decide how to enforce the order, according to city spokesman Lamor Williams.

“The plan is still evolving,” he said.

Executive orders from Hutchinson’s office and declarations of emergency from Scott’s office state being outside in close contact with others, or in groups larger than 10, shall be avoided during the pandemic.

The wording is the same as in a subsection of the state’s disorderly conduct statute, Arkansas Code Annotated 5-71-207, which is referenced in the order.