Lack of action against white supremacist (aka Ku Klux Klan) is causing community to "Slip Slide Away"

A Link for song Slip Sliden' Away, if link above doesn't work try the one below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNt5FnMK2sM&feature=youtu.be

Occasionally I'm challenged on my discoveries. No problem, my intent is to drill down on false perceptions, and determine the facts. So questions are always welcome. I have been transparent on all my discussions. If you have read all my articles from start to finish, you will find my willingness to make changes, based on proof.

I have no personal or business agenda or political axes to grind, other than as a lifetime resident determining truth, and placing responsibility on those using untrue information, to support their opinions on Harrison. Mainly the unfounded opinions disguised as research! Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences!

I have spent more than a year researching the financial impact the "most racists' town in America label has had on Harrison personal, professional, and business interests. It's easily in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

• I've communicated with Southern Poverty Law Center on every level - from research to general counsel to chairman of the board. Similarly with Wikipedia, Google, Facebook, YouTube, local, state, and national government leaders, AP News in NYC, NPR, PBS, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Harrison Daily Times, Springfield News Leader (USA Today), etc. All documented in my Linkedin articles.
• One surprising discovery has been the mass exodus of local capitalists, and the surprising growth of socialism to fill their void. Anecdotal evidence is supported by high demand for homes under $300K, and low demand on homes over $400K, and increased demand for rental property. After that I looked at comparative information, and data collected by reliable independent sources, and I was able to further support that discovery.
• If you compare median home prices in the Harrison area to northern Arkansas and southern Missouri you'll find Harrison is less than all and in most cases much less. Source: Best Places City Comparison. https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/ Simply put, the good news it's cheaper to move to Harrison from about anywhere, but once here, the bad news is that it costs more to move anywhere else with your minimal home appreciation.
• At this stage buying a home as a long term investment locally would be best in or near the Johnny Morris properties. I wouldn't be surprised if "New Dogpatch" becomes a prestigious address, while Harrison continues to slip, slide, away. As I predicted when Branson had racists problems, they were quickly attacked, and resolved, while Harrison's racists problems would keep lingering and festering.
• How soon will there be a property assessment reduction in Boone County? Less taxes collected?
• There are several economic factors that point to more socialism locally - greater dependence on the government - families in poverty have nearly tripled in past 15 years; food stamp recipients, Harrison is now 11th in state; poverty level is 22.8%, (Picture #8) while Mt Home is half that and Rogers is less than a third. Klan thrives on dependent people, who complain about unfairness of big government (but accept benefits), and support the Klan with silence! More later!
• Simple observation that middle to high net worth individuals are disappearing. It may come from FedEx Freight retirees leaving area, taking early retirement and moving to another opportunity, movement to corporate headquarters; successful local entrepreneurs, professionals, and Doctors moving to Mountain Home, Branson, Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas. In most cases replacements are receiving substantially less.
• Much of my research has been directed to how much is self-inflicted? How much is caused by doing nothing? Created by the Klan? How much is created by social or mainstream media with an intentional or unintentional bias? Again what has it cost?

I noticed, recently when I did a Wikipedia Harrison Arkansas search there has been a step back - things are "Slip Sliden' Away" again (newly added sentence to Harrison Arkansas profile page) "Because of this, it has been described by a number of sources as the most racist town in America.[8][9][10][11][12] Note HL: Title created by one local family (Robb) and their friendly tabloid connection at the UK Mirror. Harrison gets at least 300 views a day on Wikipedia. So another step backwards! More details later about Wikipedia using tabloids as their source. The complete debate can be found in Wikipedia log recorded on Talk:Harrison, Arkansas,

Nice to see some activity locally on the racism issue. Mayor Jackson said, "I believe this will be the most important committee that Harrison has ever had". There appears to be good representation of leaders from several professions and businesses. I particularly wanted to see representation from FedEx Freight and Pace. Yet to see organization of the committee? Who's the chairman? I don't care for the committee name - Diversity and Inclusivity Committee. As far as committees there's a famous quote about people who keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. More on that later.

• Robb and Klan generally eat committees' lunch. Same for politicians. Robb's strategy is simple, "divide and conquer. Basic entrepreneurial 101 "decision making" advantages over committees that requires meetings and getting a consensus to respond. Klan is real effective in leveraging their marketing channels (tabloids, news releases, viral videos, etc.) , and keeping its opposition on the defense. How can anyone who has created the damage the Klan has, convince local leaders, that they have rights? Well they have, based on feedback I've gotten from a Quorum Court member, attorney who is a member of the Chamber, and others! Otherwise how can they be allowed to put up, and keep up billboards supporting their racists' interest?
• Klan likes Harrison's rebranding approach (diversity and inclusivity) , it shifts blame and expenses back to city, and county. Continually keeping community on defense. Convincing the community it's the problem! When it isn't! Diversity and Inclusivity Committee name sounds concessionary.
• There's a strong, silent Klan support network that's intertwined socially and professionally. Any professional or personal conflict of interests with committee members? They should be immediately disclosed. That includes business and personal relationships with Jason Robb and Robb Holdings, as well as Scott Stone and Stone Financial and Tax Center, PLLC (Pictures #3 & #4) Note recent name change to Stone Financial-Wealth Management & CPA's dropping Tax Center.
• Has every member of the committee studied the racial history of Harrison? You might find that no one being killed in the riots 1905-1909 is totally unlike surrounding area communities (Picture #6), and others throughout the South, and region. (e.g. Tulsa, East St Louis, etc.) Look at the timeline for railroad bankruptcy and riots. Don't start your research where others have already made false assumptions! Check out adjoining Newton County and its racial history as well. My wife, Sandy, and I did research on the local burial of blacks at the request of the Arkansas State Humanities Department. It was very surprising! Picture #9 History of Blacks in area - see rest of the story in Addendum #2 Newton County Black History that lasted until the depression 1930's. Area wasn't as much sundown as reported - perceptions, not facts.
• Might be surprised, but percentage of blacks in Harrison not much different than other cities in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri (Picture #5). Harrison has a higher percentage of blacks than Lowell (Arkansas Democrat Gazette) , Greenwood, Alma, Mountain Home, Farmington, and Rogers only has a slightly higher percentage. Most have stories about sundown city signs posted at their city limits (re: Rogers & Springdale). (Picture #7) I'm yet to find a story about signs posted in Harrison?
• Diversification in Harrison and other surrounding communities has come from Latino's and Hispanic's. Probably be a good idea to include a local Latino / Hispanic leader in the committee. We have success stories - physical therapists, restaurant owner / operators, etc. I live in same the neighborhood with some. I just hope that I'm as good a neighbor to them as they are to me!
• Have committee study the Russian Facebook clone VK and the public acknowledgement by both Jason and Tom Robb that they are active users to avoid First Amendment issues in the USA. Russian impact on 2020 election will be far greater than Tik Tok (China). Jason is recognized as the KKK General Counsel, and as an attorney are there conflicts of interests when he advises clients who are Klan members? Failure to follow fiduciary standards of putting client interests first? Klan members are asked to put the Klan in their will.

Other things to consider:

• “Repeat a Lie Often Enough and it becomes the Truth - Nazi Joseph Goebbels”. Nothing more true than that about "most racists" label.
• I've challenged local, regional, state, national, and international media, individuals, groups, businesses, and professionals to come up with source of the slanderous label "most racists' town in America", and no one has taken the challenge!
• Hint: Tom Robb and Klan (Jason Robb) created the “most racist’s city in the US” image causing measurable defamation (reputation) damages to private residential owners, professionals, and business owners' reputation and properties. E.g. Tom Robb / Jason Robb (KKK) -> puts up billboards -> create 11 area hate groups with essentially the same address and phone number -> gets SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) to accept them as unique hate groups (Only if your donations increase by having more hate groups, can it be explained by SPLC) -> sending Knights Party emails and/or press releases communications to (British) tabloids, noting Harrison has more hate groups (created by Robb) than other cities (the most racists) -> then it was published. I'm sure Robb couldn't believe how gullible (stupid) and easy it would be! (Picture #3)
• If you look back over past year, there was an intense discussion recorded by Wikipedia editors on racism in Harrison subject (see Addendum). Truth and logic left the room early - until there are penalties for damages, no one cares. Check next point.
• Wikipedia editors, August 2019 -- "has been dubbed "the most racist city in America" for its high presence of white supremacist organizations (? HL)....There are so many sources, many of which are listed on this talk page that discuss Harrison, denote it as the most racist town in America, etc. I think the mention of it is vastly understated at this point."
• Recent unauthorized, and unplanned (according to local BLM officials) Black Lives Matter viral video along with new committees are god(devil) sends for the Klan. He eats them for breakfast and lunch.
• No action taken on viral video (something Walmart should be helpful with) same as "most racists" - Action other than official statements! Official statements are falling on deaf ears! Wikipedia editors would call words without action, putting lipstick on a pig. Mayor Jackson was quoted in the HDT article above "Everything we've done for 40 years is gone, and then some. The video killed us". "Within hours we put together a group of people to decide what we could do. I don't think we can do a thing about it. It's destroying Harrison every day, " he said. I made the point several months in advance the "most racists" title was just an invitation for a disaster.
• There was no legacy of hate based on slavery in the Harrison area (no plantations). "There appeared to be a communal interdependence in the mid to late 1800’s that overrode social prejudices." 
• After the railroad bankruptcy, the job opportunities weren't there. Timeline railroad bankruptcy declared July 1st, 1905 and riots on October 2nd, 1905.
• Harrison "nowhere near as murderous"(quote from Encyclopedia) actually means there were "zero" killed in Harrison riots but lynching's in others? (Picture #6 & #7) No jobs for black and white residents, when railroad went bankrupt. If it had been strictly about race, many would have been killed! Instead zero! By definition of "sundown towns" it means no blacks, but in Harrison there was one left (Not zero, and adjoining Newton County had several blacks, which is never mentioned by historians, since they were living lives of peaceful coexistence)
• Recently First Christian Church hired a black, woman, Senior Pastor. (Picture #1) A reporter attempting to find information online about it contacted me. I told him it's considered an ad, not written by HDT staff. The church membership consists of a cross section of the community - former FedEx Executives, former State Representative, new car dealer, and hardware store owner, etc. So process used in hiring is significant. Even more newsworthy then the recent Branson addition of black, woman to their council that received positive national coverage.
• Following research may be an indicator on why First Christian news story appeared as an ad? "From Hatetrackers BlogSpot on Harrison Daily Times (HL -not your J.E. Dunlap's newspaper - former publisher and paper owner who always supported and defended local business) "Typically, the KKK's modus operandi is to sneak around in the middle of the night and drop flyers on driveways and in mail boxes, as being seen associating with an organization that's murdered over 5,000 U.S. citizens is an embarrassment to most people. Not so with one particular Klan syndicate and their business partner. The Harrison Daily Times, an Arkansas-based newspaper, is unethically providing newspaper ad space to a well-known hate group called the Knights Party of the Ku Klux Klan." (picture #2)
• Stone Financial and Tax recently sold Harrison business interests (at least the tax preparation part). Scott Stone was included in Klan and Robb family Arkansas Secretary of State filings. I have extensively questioned his involvement in Robb Holdings in previous articles. Picture #3 and #4.
• Also since there is a "hands off" approach to Jason Robb, and his business associates - banks, real estate, professionals, insurance, construction, etc. we're slip sliding away. That has to change immediately!
• Demand removal of billboard, due to their past history of community damages from Klan (Robb) creator of "most racists' city in the US" label; and current use of Russian platform would be starters.
• For those who are calling on the capitalists to save the day, they are leaving Harrison and County at an alarming rate. Many retirees and businesses are quickly marking moving to Boone County and Harrison off their lists. There are several economic factors that point to more socialism locally - dependency on government - families in poverty have nearly tripled in past 15 years; as far as food stamp recipients as a percentage of all households. Harrison is 11th in state; poverty level is 22.8%, while Mt Home is half that and Rogers is less than a third. (Picture #8)
• If you compare median home prices in the Harrison area to Mountain Home, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Lowell, Springdale, Huntsville or Monett, Branson, Joplin, Ozark, Poplar Bluff Missouri all in Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri you'll find Harrison is less than all and in most cases much less. https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/

Unless there is action taken immediately, it's turn out the lights the party's over.

Let me suggest with a touch of sarcasm --

4-step, highly effective system for killing cockroaches and keeping them out:

• Pre-Game: Find the Roaches, Analyze the Opposition
• Offense: Gel Bait and Natural Ways to Kill Roaches
• Defense: Seal, Repair and Repel
• Maintain: Keep Up the Good Work

Unfortunately locals keep attempting to do it in reverse order and never make it to core problem.

Picture #1

Picture #2

Picture #3 Note principal address 220 West Stephenson

Picture #4 - Scott Stone connection

Picture #5 Percentage of blacks

Picture #6 Check all the cities where people were killed

Picture #7 Roger,AR sign - note lynching's in Pierce City and Monett Missouri. Also Main Street sundown signs.

Picture #8

Check poverty rate 22.8%

Ranked 11th

Picture #9

History of Blacks in area - see rest of the story in Addendum #2

An isolated, fiercely independent people, they differed throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains. Because they operated small, relatively autonomous farms (the average in 1850 was 28 improved acres per farm) and did not concentrate on a single cash crop, they had little need for slaves. Yet in 1860, there were three hundred and seventy-eight black slaves scattered throughout the [Buffalo River] watershed and its immediate area... The black population within the three county regions, while it consisted largely of slaves, also contained a significant proportion of free blacks.

The region, and least of all, the Valley, had no economic ties to the greater South… Its inhabitants were little affected by the social, economic, and political forces beyond the confines of their little valley. But those forces were shaping a civil war, and all—men, women, and children – were to be drawn into the vortex of that building storm.”

If you do a search for Harrison, Arkansas on Wikipedia now you get -- (note taking a step back)

The predominantly white community is noted for its history of racism, which includes two race riots in the early 20th century and an influx of white supremacist activity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[7] (newly added) Because of this, it has been described by a number of sources as the most racist town in America.[8][9][10][11][12]

8. Bucktin, Christopher (November 24, 2016). "The most racist town in US where "diversity is a code word for white genocide"". Mirror. Retrieved July 29, 2020. (UK Mirror is a tabloid - not a legitimate source of news - HL)

9. Brantley, Max (November 25, 2016). “‘most racist town in America'". Arkansas Times. Retrieved July 29, 2020. (Reference to UK Mirror tabloid - HL)

10. Rowles, Dustin (January 2, 2015). "Harrison, Arkansas Continues To Be One Of The Most Racist Towns In America". UPROXX. Retrieved July 29, 2020. (Reference to UK Mirror tabloid - HL)

11. Chojar, Faith (April 17, 2019). "The Most Racist Town in America?". Papers, Posters, and Recordings. (Reference to UK Mirror tabloid - HL)

12. "Man holding Black Lives Matter sign in Harrison faces racist language". thv11.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.(Reference to UK Mirror tabloid - HL)

It took a lot of effort to get to the following about a year ago. So extremely disappointing the effort by city and county to take action against Klan. Particularly Jason Robb and his proximity to city and county government offices.

Wikipedia - September 23rd, 2019 the predominantly white community is noted for its racial history, which includes two race riots in the early 20th century and an influx of white supremacist activity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Wikipedia as of Aug. 18th, 2019 –Removed – gone a year ago -- “Race riots by whites in 1905 and 1909 drove away black residents, establishing Harrison as a sundown town. Today (2019) it is known as the center of white supremacist activity, including the national headquarters of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

When you look at the local situation, there is slip, sliding away on several levels. None will be corrected until Klan is gone!

• If you compare median home prices in the Harrison area to Mountain Home, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Lowell, Springdale, Huntsville or Monett, Branson, Joplin, Ozark, Poplar Bluff Missouri all in Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri you'll find Harrison is less than all and in most cases much less
• ACS 2005-2009 data indicates families in poverty have more than doubled in Harrison over past 15 years
• Food Stamp recipients as a percentage of all households. Harrison is 11th in state
• Poverty level 22.8% in Harrison while others in the region are half (Mt Home) to only 1/3rd (Rogers)
• The poverty level in Harrison is 58% higher than the national average

I have placed an edited copy of Talk:Harrison, Arkansas in Addendum #1 for discussion purposes

• Recent addition by Wikipedia of most racists town in America came from a tabloid in UK, so interesting when they were critical of my mainstream news sources about importance of Walmart's second store in Harrison.
• Major mistake by Harrison leaders to not take action against Klan. "Most racists" town keeps resurfacing, and will until action taken. Only reason must be local leaders intertwined with Klan?
• Harrison has been dubbed "the most racist city in America" for its high presence of white supremacist organizations. All created by one family Tom Robb's.
• Message from Wikipedia editor to Herb5247 (Herb Lair), "this isn't a forum to discuss the topic of the article, but rather to discuss particular edits via arguments made for their existence based in reliable sources and Wikipedia policies and guidelines. I am not going to read any further into your rant than your statement that somehow Wikipedia is causing you business to suffer." Note: Wikipedia reliable source is a tabloid, mine was local newspaper, and Encyclopedia.com.

Encyclopedia.com THE WORLD’S #1 ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA - Search over 200 individual encyclopedias and reference books from the worlds most trusted publishers.

• "The success of the Harrison store provided the funding needed to build several other stores and served as the training ground for future managers. Some analysts believe that without the success of the Harrison store, there would not be a Wal-Mart company today."
• Sam Walton said ‘If it hadn’t been for the success of the Harrison store, there wouldn’t be a Walmart chain like there is today.’” Harrison Daily Times
• Wikipedia editor "Sorry, I'm not even going to consider the local paper to be a sufficient source to verify a bend over backwards promo edit like that. Having a Walmart store is certainly not in and of itself encyclopedic. If it was that noteworthy, one of the dozens of books that have been written about Walmart or the Walton's would surely have some information that was far more neutral than the local paper. John from Idegon (talk) 02:00, 20 August 2019 (UTC) Note: Wikipedia reliable source is a tabloid, mine was local newspaper, and

Encyclopedia.com THE WORLD’S #1 ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA, not to be confused with Wikipedia, best known for being free and used by mainstream news in place of paying for accurate research.

Addendum

#1 Wikipedia log recorded on Talk:Harrison, Arkansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article has been mentioned by a media organization:

Bowden, Bill (11 August 2019). "Wikipedia entries won't let Harrison shed unsavory past". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved August 11, 2019.

Reaction to Banished

I have removed the sentence "The program was heavily criticized by Harrison residents for being untruthful", referencing the film Banished. While this is indeed true, it is not supported by the references in the entry. A quick Google search didn't turn up a verifiable source - If anyone can provide one, I'd love to see this re-included. Lwsimon (talk) 01:24, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

Town's racist reputation not covered

Where is the 'real' history of this town. 1901, 1905, and 1909? Blacks were 'expelled' from their homes in this town. Who wrote this very unrealistic article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rdavis22 (talk ? contribs) 05:58, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

I was about to ask that, too. The TV show Independent Lens did an episode which covered Harrison's racist community (which very much exists today, as was made VERY clear in the TV special). This Harrison article is large enough that it makes the fact the town's racist reputation is left out of it look very, very obvious and glaring. It was deliberately left out -- it had to have been. --Ragemanchoo (talk) 08:22, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't know whether either of you have checked back recently, but I've added a bullet-point about Harrison being home to the headquarters of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Let me say, as a Klansman, that it wasn't any of us who deleted (or omitted) references to the expulsion of blacks. We're proud of our organization, and couldn't be paid to cover it up. The details about the Klan were probably omitted/removed by someone who ISN'T in the Klan, HATES the Klan, has no concept of "completeness/full disclosure" or a "detached, neutral, professional tone" as it relates to Wikipedia, and was expressing their point of view (against Wikipedia's guidelines and principles). I will be defending against any removal of properly-cited, accurate information from this article. Completeness is of the essence, as is neutrality. Mr. P. S. Phillips (talk) 17:44, 23 March 2008 (UTC

I restored a sentence about the racist history of Harrison. It has been edited out previously, and I go back occasionally to restore it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jbgilm (talk ? contribs) 20:13, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

Harrison versus Zinc

There seems to have been some disagreements over the location of the "Klan". Zinc's claims seem to have some backing, such as:

"Harrison (Boone County)" at the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture

Christopher Garland, "Klan's New Message of Cyber-Hate", The New Zealand Herald March 27, 2008.

-- Hoary (talk) 23:59, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

The "Klan" is based in Zinc, which is a tiny little backwater 20 miles from Harrison. 216.116.87.110 (talk) 21:23, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

Harrison race riots

I've removed a long and interesting passage about Harrison's race riots of 1905 and 1909, not because "The article was misleading, slanderous, hateful, limited to half truths at best, about a nice little town. Harrison is always highly listed as one of the best small towns in the USA", but instead because the material had been illicitly copied from this page ("?2010 The Central Arkansas Library System - All rights reserved") of The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. IFF legitimately written for Wikipedia (and not plagiarized), material about these riots would certainly belong in the article. -- Hoary (talk) 08:26, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

A couple of years ago I inserted two sentences about race riots and cited the PBS program. These sentences were removed but they were not plagiarized. I reinserted them. Jbgilm (talk) 03:27, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

Being dubbed the most racist city in America

For those who say it's not true that Harrison, Arkansas

has been dubbed "the most racist city in America" for its high presence of white supremacist organizations.

If we're splitting hairs, then it has been dubbed ?la ville la plus raciste des Etats-Unis?. But that means the same thing.

If you concede that yes, it has been dubbed this, but believe that the allegation is mistaken, that's good -- but you'll have to come up with a reliable source for the claim that it's not the most racist, or that city XYZ is more racist, or the most racist. Similarly, whether or not city XYZ really is the most racist, if you can find a reasoned allegation that it is, this would be worth noting.

If you'd like to discuss this, please do so here. -- Hoary (talk) 03:31, 29 October 2017 (UTC)

Uh, no, all that needs be presented are sources that do not state this is the most racist town in the country or world or whatever extreme claim you are making. No one needs propose any other candidate for that title, nor does one need a source that specifically says it isn't. Unless you have a preponderance of sources that back up the extreme claim you are making, there isn't even a need to discuss it. John from Idegon (talk) 22:17, 29 October 2017 (UTC)

You surprise me. The article (when I last touched it) didn't say the was the most racist; it merely said it had been called this. How is this problematic? How does one need a preponderance of sources to say not that a city was the most racist but instead that it had been called the most racist?

Incidentally, I wasn't happy with the article as I last saw it. Placed in the lead, this factoid seemed unduly conspicuous. I was thinking of moving it downwards within the article, but couldn't immediately think of where it should go. -- Hoary (talk) 23:23, 29 October 2017 (UTC)

I agree with User:John from Idegon. "Most racist" is subjective and unencyclopedic. WP:LABEL recognizes the contentiousness of the word. Let's provide factual information and let readers be shocked or not shocked accordingly. Magnolia677 (talk) 09:50, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

Thank you both for your considered responses. While I'm not convinced by your argument, the more I think about this allegation, the less I like it in the introduction to the article. So I'm not unhappy to see it go from there. -- Hoary (talk) 09:00, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

I have just modified 2 external links on Harrison, Arkansas. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20101227012117/https://www.commpub.com/harrisondailytimes.html to https://www.commpub.com/harrisondailytimes.html

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130628195410/https://metvnetwork.com/about.php to https://metvnetwork.com/about.php

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

As of February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{sourcecheck}} (last update: 15 July 2018).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.

If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 14:24, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 5 external links on Harrison, Arkansas. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130920010416/https://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05/0530460.html to https://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05/0530460.html

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130920010416/https://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05/0530460.html to https://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05/0530460.html

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130928131554/https://thelyricharrison.org/about.html to https://thelyricharrison.org/about.html

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110719055534/https://www.thelyricharrison.org/thelyric.html to https://www.thelyricharrison.org/thelyric.html

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110501020823/https://www.arkansas.com/outdoors/canoeing-rafting-kayaking/waterways/default.aspx?waterway=Crooked+Creek to https://www.arkansas.com/outdoors/canoeing-rafting-kayaking/waterways/default.aspx?waterway=Crooked+Creek

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

As of February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{sourcecheck}} (last update: 15 July 2018).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.

If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 06:01, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

This Wikipedia article is in the news

Covered at Wikipedia entries won't let Harrison shed unsavory past.--?IanMacM? (talk to me) 16:45, 11 August 2019 (UTC)

Here are some sources that cover the history of the town and mention racial issues, as well as the KKK.

PBS article about the town history, mentions the Knights of the KKK headquarters and it being a sundown town.

ABC-CLIO, briefly mentions Robb Thomas and the Knights.

Charles C. Thomas Publications. Mentions Robb Thomas and the Knights in more detail. (Not entirely familiar with publisher, but it seems that they specialize in specialty titles and textbooks, so it's likely usable)

Another ABC-CLIO, this mentions a national convention held in the town by the Knights each October. This one mentions attacks on black residents and the signing of a declaration by some people in the town to vow not to ignore the town's past or to ignore racism in the present.

The New Press, mentions the town at length in relation to racial history. (I'm aware that this publisher has a leftist bent, but it can be used as a resource for other sources or in very specific circumstances)

McFarland, mentions Thomas moving the Knights to Harrison.

Anti-Defamation League, could be seen as a primary source given the organization's focus but this was published in 1991 and mentions the town in relation to the KKK, so this shows that the town has a past history.

1994 report by the American Society of Geolinguistics, mentions the KKK.

University Press of Kentucky, extensively mentions the town's racial history.

I'm not really interested in editing the page, but I wanted to have these here so others can use them if they want - and to hold off people who say that the claims are false. ReaderofthePack(formerly Tokyogirl79) (?????) 17:51, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Here are some other sources that also mention (or looks like it would per the sourcing) the town and its history with race: [1], [2], [3]. I'll see if I can find anything about modern day activity. ReaderofthePack(formerly Tokyogirl79) (?????) 17:58, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

As to the claim of the Knights' headquarters being in Harrison, their own website states that their headquarters are here. ReaderofthePack(formerly Tokyogirl79) (?????) 18:05, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

I'm not an expert on any of this, but what seems to have annoyed some people is the implication that the town is defined by the fact that the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan are based there. It is mentioned prominently in the WP:LEAD and maybe it should be left until later on.--?IanMacM? (talk to me) 05:37, 17 August 2019 (UTC)

The article doesn't need approval by the local powers that be, they don't own it. It doesn't matter if it annoys them, it doesn't exist to promote their interests, no more than Donald Trump or Barack Obama have any say over the articles that bear their names. Wikipedia is not censored to make the subjects look good, but rather relies on verification by reliable sources. Advocacy by those who have a vested interest in the article is not allowed, but is considered a conflict of interest that would degrade the value of the encyclopedia. It is wonderful if the people who have an interest step up and point out sources that support a different view of Harrison. Because the article isn't about what I think about Harrison or what the mayor of Harrison wants people to see, or what the local realtors want to convey, it's about what verifiable third party sources have to say, in accordance with various Wikipedia policies and procedures.Jacona (talk) 17:03, 18 August 2019 (UTC)

This is all true but WP:NPOV also becomes involved. There is some problematic wording in the WP:LEAD, because it comes close to implying that the town's main source of notability is as a white supremacist hotbed. The KKK link isn't going to be removed altogether, but maybe it could be left until later on in the article.--?IanMacM? (talk to me) 17:08, 18 August 2019 (UTC)

It's what the sources say. We could leave it out altogether, if we were their shill.Jacona (talk) 19:46, 18 August 2019 (UTC) Here's another source[1]

This is misrepresenting what I have said. I haven't said that the KKK link should be removed, but there is a question of how much prominence to give it. The mention in the WP:LEAD is problematic in my view, and it could be left until later on in the article.--?IanMacM? (talk to me) 05:21, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

Sorry, didn't mean to misrepresent you, but this is what multiple sources say, and say in depth. That's why it belongs in the lead. Whether or not it annoys the mayor is irrelevant.Jacona (talk) 13:48, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

References

 https://newspaperarchive.com/tribune-democrat-jul-01-2016-p-4/

Following on from the above: "troubled" racial history or "is noted for" its racial history?

A couple of us put "troubled" racial history in the lead, but it's now been twice replaced with "is noted for its racial history". Specifics already in the article, and sources cited above, appear to me to make "troubled" a supportable summary. As I said in my edit summary reinstating it, "is noted/notable for" strikes me as POV, unless there are sources actually stating that this is the one thing the city is known for. Otherwise we're implying that's the case. There may be sources saying it's also known for something else; if they actually list both, I'd be a lot happier with both being in the lede and with that judgement being there. And I do think there's enough to justify mentioning the race relations issue in the lead. But we shouldn't make the judgement call ourselves that the city is notable for that without strong sourcing actually saying that. Yngvadottir (talk) 18:07, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

Better yet, let's just lose all the judgement adjectives and simply say "has". John from Idegon (talk) 18:12, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

The sources seem to require some adjective indicating problems, esp. since every place "has a racial history". Suggestions? I'll also ping Carrite, who made the try at summing it up in the lead that I tinkered with. Yngvadottir (talk) 18:20, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

Well, no, not everyplace has a racial history that has been made note of. Perhaps we should look at the noun and not the adjective. "Race relations issues", perhaps? You know, I'm not really interested in soft pedaling this just because it offends the current government. We are not here to be their mouthpiece. Too damn bad that the current administration wants to change the "image". This community has had a long relationship with the white supremacist movement. There have been numerous incidents over the years of violent discrimination. It's the HQ of the most well known white supremacist group around. It is what it is, not what they want it to be. John from Idegon (talk) 18:31, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

I think "long and troubled racial history" is both accurate and NPOV. I'm not gonna fight over this though, I was just trying to address a factual inaccuracy pointed out in the news media by a city official (i.e. that headquarters of a KKK faction is NOT physically in Harrison) and to fix somewhat tendentious phrasing in the lead that is not backed up with explanation in the body. Keep it or change it or lose it, I've made my effort to make a positive fix. Carrite (talk) 20:23, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

See: Bill Bowden, "Wikipedia Entries Won't Let Harrison Shed Its Past," Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Aug. 12, 2019; via Wikipediocracy. Carrite (talk) 20:28, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

I see nothing useful in that article. Nothing. Sorry they don't like their past. Solution is to get over it or move, not try to erase it. I've lived in about 3 dozen different communities over the course of my life and not a single one of them (except Detroit) has ever had a race riot. That article is simply more PR spin and our responsibility as Wikipedia editors is to ignore it, not give in to it. I'm sorry, but the city, and the chamber of commerce's desires are not our problem. John from Idegon (talk) 20:39, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

I hardly think "has a troubled racial history" is what the city boosters would want us to write, but "has a racial history" is, to me, well, duh. We shouldn't be hinting to the reader that "psst, that means it's had racial problems". And that isn't what the words actually mean. But nor should we be belaboring the point by suggesting in the encyclopedia's voice that there's nothing else that has caused the place to be noted. (Clearly, a Walmart and a women-owned business have attracted some attention, though their importance needs supporting with sources.) So I'm for stating in the lead that it has a troubled racial history. And I note we have a somewhat baggy section on the issue, which is good if it's going to be in the lead. Sorry, Chamber of Commerce. In short, I'm backing Carrite up here, except I think "long" is unnecessary verbiage, plus it isn't really its length that's the problem so much as the riots, the HQ being moved next door, and what both of those indicate about the intensity of the problem, right? Yngvadottir (talk) 21:32, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

Pinging User:Magnolia677, who most recently reverted to "is noted for its racial history" and asked for discussion. I've provided above my reasoning for "has a troubled racial history" as a summary of the events mentioned. Yngvadottir (talk) 05:37, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

I have frequently removed unsourced content from this article, and here in 2014 added a quote from the mayor denouncing Harrison's racist past. My recent edits, however, have been purely WikiFairy cleanup of un-encyclopedic text. A consensus of editors created Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch and similar policies to keep Wikipedia free of editorializing and bias, which undermines Wikipedia's credibility. This consensus to remove the word "affluent" from the lead section of US city articles demonstrates the application of that policy. Regardless of how loaded a topic may be, Wikipedia must remain encyclopedic in tone. In a balanced and well-written article, readers will reach their own conclusions. To this end, "further rocked by a racially charged murder in 2010" was replaced by "in 2010 Harrison was the location of a racially-motivated murder". ("Rocked" is un-encyclopedic and vacuous) As well, what does "long and troubled" mean? How long is long? What exactly does "troubled" mean? (How rich does a city need to be to be an "affluent" city?) To this end, I replaced "long and troubled" and "in more recent times" with actual dates and events. My edits removed none of the sourced content or implied meaning; my edits simply removed non-specific and un-encyclopedic text which did little to improve the article. Magnolia677 (talk) 11:24, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

@Magnolia677: Thanks for coming here; I opened this follow-on section because of your edit summary on your second revert asking for discussion. Thank you for tightening the baggy section on the city's racial history. I'm talking here about the introduction (lead/lede). I think we're agreed (except for the people representing the city) that there should be some mention of race relations there. And I agree, no "lengthy" or "long" there: very much relative anyway. But by removing "troubled" and replacing it with "noted for" or "notable for", it is my view that you have replaced a summing up that is supported by the following mention of race riots and white supremacist activity with a POV statement that its racial history constitutes at least in part what the city is known for. It's also known for being the county seat, and as I said before and as is being discussed below, it may or may not also be known for Walmart's second store having been established there. In any case, "racial history" is extremely broad and as such almost meaningless without some adjective. The History section speaks of the Native American inhabitants of the region including strife between two tribes. Isn't that also "racial history"? Or if the term is to be taken as only referring to black-white relations, without an adjective it could on first reading mean the place has in some way pioneered coexistence between African-Americans and whites in the South. I believe it needs some adjective to make race riots and white supremacist activities valid examples in the rest of the sentence, to avoid us implying in Wikipedia's voice that that's all the place is known for, and not least to avoid the logical reading, which is "it has a racial history", which without some adjective is devoid of content. It would be better to leave out the start of the sentence altogether and just say "Harrison has had two race riots in the early 20th century and an influx of white supremacist activity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries." But I cannot believe the MOS "words to avoid" was intended to exclude words that are supported by multiple sources, as summarized in a section in the body of the article. Perhaps you can suggest specific wording you would prefer in the intro? Here's a suggestion from me: "Harrison has a history of racial unrest, including two race riots in the early 20th century and an influx of white supremacist activity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries." ("Notable" is of course a word we use outside of main space. But in main space, it makes a judgement about what something is known for and by implication that it's not known for anything much else.) Yngvadottir (talk) 13:21, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

There are so many sources, many of which are listed on this talk page that discuss Harrison, denote it as the most racist town in America, etc. I think the mention of it is vastly understated at this point. As far as their feel good campaign recognizing Dr. King....they followed it right up by proclaiming confederate heritage day, as did Boone Coiunty.Jacona (talk) 01:17, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

@Jacona: That's getting into discussing the topic rather than how to improve the article. There's a section on the racial history, and it's been tightened up a bit. What concerns me is not having either an empty statement in the lede: "It has a racial history", well, duh—or having a POV one: "It is noted for its racial history". Can you suggest an alternative to "It has a troubled racial history" that fits the examples that follow in the sentence, and the section in the text? Yngvadottir (talk) 16:59, 22 August 2019 (UTC)

Walmart 2nd store success and how model was replicated throughout the US - need consensus

[[4]] How the Harrison Walmart Store #2 model was successfully replicated throughout the US.

Harrison Walmart #2 opened in 1965 with several mishaps, recorded in multiple publications. Locals were hired at minimum wage with opportunity to receive stock. From that group there became several millionaires. The importance of a placing second store in Harrison proved to be a godsend - Harrison was 70 miles from larger shopping markets (pre-Branson growth). Sam Walton personally hired incredible people and the model was replicated in several similar situations throughout the US. Sam Walton said ‘If it hadn’t been for the success of the Harrison store, there wouldn’t be a Walmart chain like there is today.’” Consensus needed to add to Harrison Arkansas page Herb5247 (talk) 00:00, 20 August 2019 (UTC) Herb5247 (talk) 01:30, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

Sorry, I'm not even going to consider the local paper to be a sufficient source to verify a bend over backwards promo edit like that. Having a walmart store is certainly not in and of itself encyclopedic. If it was that noteworthy, one of the dozens of books that have been written about Walmart or the Walton's would surely have some information that was far more neutral than the local paper. John from Idegon (talk) 02:00, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

Wikipedia editors will accept tabloids, but not a mainstream newspaper

OK the reason I'm looking into this was the numerous undocumented or racist comments allowed by Wikipedia not relative to Harrison today - last Sunday the state news paper Arkansas Democrat Gazette published in their editorial that five sentences into Wikipedia's article about the city that readers find this - Race riots By whites in 1905 and 1909 drove away black residents, establishing Harrison as a sundown town. Today(2019) it is known as a center of white supremacist activity including the national headquarters of Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. The local paper I referenced is much more reliable than the ones that Wikipedia has used - noticed Wikipedia are making some changes but the 100 yr+ race riots don't belong on the front page

I'm not a local politician but my business can be severely financially damaged by the irresponsibility I have seen from Wikipedia - something politicians are interested in as we get into the 2020 elections.You made a classic quote about neutral press - the KKK and racial stuff is being hand fed.

My Letter to the Editor Re: No Satisfaction Harrison is more of a straight up “Man in Black” Johnny Cash town than one with moves like Jagger. The race riots of 1905 and 1909 are part of our history, but no longer front page news? Give me a break! I expect more! Check where Little Rock Central ’57, one of the biggest racial stories of the last century is located on Little Rock’s Wikipedia - -just a footnote.. Fact KKK is not located in Harrison. Check your files for last rally in Harrison, I’m old and can’t remember one. Check files for any local KKK arrests or disturbances. Haven’t seen any. Might check out Dayton Ohio. Legitimate news media is worse than fake news when they fail to debunk questionable methods used to prioritize a bad cause. (media attention, from Wikipedia, Google, and YouTube are only thing keeping KKK afloat - all their attempts to own businesses in Harrison have failed - the US Post Office should not allow KKK to use it, locals have made a political movement to youth in all the offices - mayor, and council.) I do remember growing up near Harrison in a family service station business. My job, starting around 5 yrs., was to provide full service to all (including blacks) customers, and we didn’t have racially restricted restrooms. In a service station you found out quickly that customers smelled like oil, had red blood, and their cash was green; and you were as good as your last customer. Seeking a better life I got a MS in Math from U of A and headed to Washington, DC. The news about Arkansas was the ’57 Central High race issues, along with Arkansas being a poor rural agriculture state. I was prepared to defend the state on race issues, I knew there had been integration in West Arkansas via Dale Bumpers prior to ‘57. Also there was a small business in Arkansas, Walmart making some noise. No matter, It was 1968, one of the worst in US history. There were race riots in many major northern cities, including DC but they no longer make their Wikipedia front page. When I returned to Harrison in 1973, I started a technology company, first as a local service bureau, and then transitioned to 100% of business outside city, state, and international. Every person I brought to Harrison, from various nationalities, were extremely pleased with their visit. If Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia had been at the current level of misinformation, it would have been much more problematic to pull off with all the advance research that people do today. In my business travels I always used the Harrison Walmart story – the second Walmart is something I can identify with, it’s easy to make something successful if only down the street, but doing it miles away is the real test. Sam Walton said ‘If it hadn’t been for the success of the Harrison store, there wouldn’t be a Walmart chain like there is today.’” I always promote the quality of life – lakes, Buffalo National River, Eureka Springs, Branson, Big Cedar / Top of the Rock complex. The real stories are the successes – starting with Walmart, Garrison / FedEx, Sav-a Stop, Millers, Neighbors, Johnson’s, Lair Oil/White Oak, Claridge, DSI, Mosco Cash Enterprises, Pace (founded here), Harness Roofing, etc. Probably the best approach is printing the change about Walmart I requested. All Sam Walton Books and Walmart history books recognize importance of Harrison as their second store. It didn't take long to recognize editors for Wikipedia that are paid to support and find information that have no credibility - happy to take this to another level at Wikipedia or through Twitter and other direct DC political contacts Herb5247 (talk) 05:17, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

Herb5247, this isn't a forum to discuss the topic of the article, but rather to discuss particular edits via arguments made for their existence based in reliable sources and Wikipedia policies and guidelines. I am not going to read any further into your rant than your statement that somehow Wikipedia is causing you business to suffer. When you can discuss the content in a professional manner without personalizing it, feel free to try again. There is a discussion above about how we are treating race issues above. If you are capable of forming a succinct argument based in sources and policy, perhaps you may want to participate. The fiscal condition of your business is not a relative argument. John from Idegon (talk) 05:54, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

Information sent directly to Wikipedia and other news outlets John from Idegon should never be allowed to edit Harrison Arkansas any longer - there are several documented examples of accepting false information - as the 911 Director, I had access to all recorded calls - there was never the activity in Harrison by KKK he was willing to accept including headquarters - never happened , never will - no rallies - local KKK great at manipulating Internet media, why don't people coming to Harrison interview successful businessmen, instead they dig up people no one knows to generate video clips - he can no longer effectively deflect all the KKK and right extremist slanted information he has taken at face value while rejecting one of the most basic and proven fact - quote by Sam Walton from article[of Walmart Store #2 in Harrison Arkansas] -- Bill Lovell said, “I’ve heard Mr. Sam say it many times, ‘If it hadn’t been for the success of the Harrison store, there wouldn’t be a Walmart chain like there is today.’” Lovell is now a retired Walmart executive operating Main Street Merchandise in the same shopping center where Walmart Store No. 2 started (still active can be reached at his store in Harrison - Phone: [REDACTED]

.“That profit sharing program is what allowed me to retire early from Walmart and has made a lot of people millionaires,” Lovell said. “He believed in getting everyone involved and making it a team effort to help the company grow.”

One of the first Harrison employees was Grace McCutcheon. Her daughter, Anne Holt remembers, “Mom said she started with Walmart before there were shelves and merchandise.”

McCutcheon helped set up the Harrison location in the Younes Shopping Center

My wife's Aunt is Grace Mccutcheon (now deceased)

Appears John from Idegon is willing to take incorrect information at face value while calling the truth slanted - give me a break and someone who can handle the truth!Herb5247 (talk) 13:45, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

@Herb5247: I'm afraid we can't accept personal knowledge as a source. As John from Idegon has suggested to you, books on the history of Walmart would be sources we could use in the article. Please find one or more such sources, and give us the author, title, and page number for statements about opening the second store in Harrison being important to the company's history, and it can then be included with no problems. This is the relevant policy page, but it's really simply a matter of this being an encyclopedia: we try to make statements based only on what others have written (or otherwise published, for example in documentaries; is there one on the history of Walmart that also makes this point?). The situation with local papers varies; I'm inclined to accept such a citation if there is also at least one other in a non-local source, making the same point. So ... find at least one better source, that's what we need. Yngvadottir (talk) 16:00, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

OK here it is in addition to local paper here is the encyclopedia confirmation from analysts (of what Sam Walton told key people at Harrison)

THE WORLD’S #1 ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA

Search over 200 individual encyclopedias and reference books from the worlds most trusted publishers.

By 1962 Walton and his brother, James, owned and operated sixteen variety stores in Arkansas, making theirs the largest independent variety store chain in the nation. From 1960 to 1962 Walton, presenting himself as the "little country boy from Arkansas," traveled the nation, examining the successful practices of the nation's leading retail enterprises. From this effort Walton realized that he could succeed by using a practice of modest overhead expenses with low retail prices and efficient distribution. In 1964 Walton opened his second unit in Harrison, Arkansas. He located the store in a building that had been used as a cattle-auction yard. The grand opening took a downward turn when the day's heat (115 degrees) caused the promotional watermelons to pop, thus frightening the donkeys that were part of the ride promotion and causing them to flee. The grand opening was not a complete disaster; numerous shoppers came to the store because the prices were 20 percent below those of competitors. The success of the Harrison store provided the funding needed to build several other stores and served as the training ground for future managers. Some analysts believe that without the success of the Harrison store, there would not be a Wal-Mart company today.

Although many poorly managed retail firms failed in the early 1960s, by 1965 the discount industry continued to expand and capture the attention of the majority of America's shoppers. In the mid-1960s discount merchandising included many small retail businesses, but their importance was declining as the industry became dominated by larger chains. By 1964 Walton was worried that other discount chains would adopt his concept of discounting in small towns and began to establish Wal-Marts as rapidly as financing would permit. He opened one store in 1965, two stores a year in 1966 and 1967, and five a year in 1968 and 1969, for a total of nineteen Wal-Marts by the end of the decade. Eleven of the stores were in Arkansas, and the others were located in Missouri and Oklahoma. In 1969 Walton's firm incorporated.Herb5247 (talk) 01:53, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

At best, it is worth one or two lines as an interesting little bit of trivia. Nothing beyond that. Zaathras (talk) 02:12, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

Not trivia if analysts and Sam Walton both make claim that without success of Harrison there would be no Walmart as we know it today. Also who allows Peter Rugh, known racist, to put totally biased false information in the Wikipedia search, and be the source of his own information? We met this request and appears there is a problem again

@Herb5247: I'm afraid we can't accept personal knowledge as a source. As John from Idegon has suggested to you, books on the history of Walmart would be sources we could use in the article. Please find one or more such sources, and give us the author, title, and page number for statements about opening the second store in Harrison being important to the company's history, and it can then be included with no problems. This is the relevant policy page, but it's really simply a matter of this being an encyclopedia: we try to make statements based only on what others have written (or otherwise published, for example in documentaries; is there one on the history of Walmart that also makes this point?). The situation with local papers varies; I'm inclined to accept such a citation if there is also at least one other in a non-local source, making the same point. So ... find at least one better source, that's what we need. Yngvadottir (talk) 16:00, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

Appears we have met the conditions met by YngvadottirHerb5247 (talk) 08:30, 22 August 2019 (UTC)

I agree with Zaathras. Walmart store #2 merits one sentence in a larger section on local economics. What matters is what is important about this community to the world, not what is important to this community. John from Idegon (talk) 12:46, 22 August 2019 (UTC)

Well said. I remember hearing Sam in person talk about this 30 something years ago. He also placed huge importance on the 2nd distribution center, and the first dc that was outside of AR and TX. Doubtless there are some extant sources that cover this, they need to be found, and for the most part covered in the Wal-Mart article, not discussed at length in locality articles.Jacona (talk) 13:09, 22 August 2019 (UTC)

Absurd statement

The article currently says that "City officials have attempted to counteract organized racist activity... by editing the city's Wikipedia article", which is both false and absurd. As the cited source discusses, they edited the city's Wikipedia article to downplay the city's racist reputation and improve its PR, not to "counteract organized racist activity". I tried to remove this, but was reverted! It doesn't look good if we're complaining about the city editing their article when we can't even keep it accurate ourselves. Kaldari (talk) 00:12, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

No, you just removed the cite and left the statement you call absurd. I'm not sure if that's what you meant to do.Jacona (talk) 01:31, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

Interesting. I moved the text to 2003, adding a sentence about the community race relations task force. It now reads:

"Harrison's Community Task Force on Race Relations[1] was established in 2003 to "promote diversity and respond to racial-bias accusations against the city".[2] City officials have made efforts to counteract organized racist activity with educational forums and billboards promoting tolerance.[3] They also attempted to downplay the city's racist reputation and improve its image by editing the city's Wikipedia article.[2]" Wakari07 (talk) 23:23, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

References

 "Tale Of Two Billboards: An Ozark Town's Struggle To Unseat Hate". NPR. Retrieved 7 September 2019.

 Bowden, Bill (2019-08-11). "Wikipedia entries won't let Harrison shed unsavory past". Arkansas Online. Retrieved 2019-08-31.

#2 Newton County Race History

From the Shadows - narrative on blacks buried in Harrison area - N__Tim

When the Villines family of North Carolina decided to sell their plantations and travel west into unknown and unchartered territories, they did not know what the future held for them. They could not have foreseen the number of souls who would be born through the Villines blood line, and they probably did not imagine that their lives would be studied by generations to come.

One of the assets that the old Grandpa and grandma Villines chose to bring with them was a slave girl named Piety. She traveled with them and would become Grandma Villines’ dearest friend and closest companion after the family settled into the hills of northwest Arkansas. “Aunt” Piety, as she has been through generations, was not only a companion, helper, and friend to the Villines family; she was also a mother to several children.

Aunt Piety’s oldest son, Timothy, or “Tim” Villines, was a big, strong, friendly man, who helped those around him when they called. He lived in a cabin, on a hill nestled in the shadows of the old oak, walnut, and hickory trees of Arkansas. He worked hard, loved much, and was indeed an intelligent and interesting man. He was married, they say, at least three times, to white women, and was often fined by the County Judge, who claimed to be able to stop “a lynching” for a few dollars. One story that folks love to tell involves Tim helping a neighbor with some small pigs. The sow became enraged, and lunged at Tim, but she met a large, work toughened fist that sent her reeling backward. I imagine the sow thought twice about attacking Tim again. Even people who came to the area looking for someone other than a Villines were amazed to learn that this big, black man carried the name.

Tim Villines lived in the shadows as a young boy, through manhood, and perhaps even in death. But from the shadows of history, many stories have been told. We must keep history alive by talking about those who have passed this way before. Perhaps in a different time, Tim Villines would have become a great man in worldly standards. In our minds, he was a great man, just by being who he was.

In our research Tim Villines was referred to as “Nigger” Tim, at that time it was not considered offensive; but today we know that it is; so he will be referenced as Tim or N Tim in the rest of our narrative.

Last fall I traveled to Newton County in search of the graves of some of the first African-Americans to be buried in these hills. What a wonderful day it was. I met Willard and Sally Villines at Fire Tower Road. My sister-in-law, Gwendola Tennyson and I climbed into their blue Ford truck and took off down to Boxley valley. Willard was so knowledgeable on all the valley history. After all he and Sally have lived here all their lives and know all the oral history passed down from each generation. It was a perfect crisp fall day…leaves falling, scattered clouds, and temperature close to 50 degrees. We talked as fast as we could on our way to Beechwood cemetery. We tried to get all the history straight in our minds (but there is just too much to comprehend).

Beechwood Cemetery is on the same road that you turn to go to Lost Valley. You turn at Lost Valley and then take the first right hand road to Beechwood. What a beautiful spot for a cemetery. You look across the valley to the Buffalo River. Big Oak trees are blowing in the wind. You feel the peace and stillness. The pictures I took just can’t get the feelings.

Willard first showed us some of his ancestors and their burial plot. I enjoyed hearing who they were and how they were related to him. But Willard knew where N Tim was buried and I couldn’t wait. And then there it was right in the middle on the south east side. A little rock that had N. Tim written on it. I felt like something grabbed my heart….my heart says…tell his story.

In the early 17th century, Hezekiah and Elizabeth (Betsy) Penn Villines came to Boxley valley. They brought their slave Aunt Piety with them. She had been given to Elizabeth as a wedding present. They settled in the valley close to where the Paul Villines family lives today. There is an old store still standing built in 1920 by

Hezikial and Minnie Edgmon. Up in the pasture is he grave of Aunt Piety. Apparently Betsy died before Aunt Piety. It seems that Betsy loved Aunt Piety, so she had directed her survivors to have her tombstone epitaph as if it was straight from the heart. It reads Not Lost, Blessed thought, but gone before, where we shall meet to part no more. The U.S. National Park Service erected a nice monument for Aunt Piety. You can view it from the road on the hill across from the old store.

In researching our project, I found the book “Old Folks Talking” by Jim Liles to be very helpful with many  background facts that follow.

Arkansas seceded from the Union and became a Confederate State on May 5, 1861. About 80% of the Arkansas men fought for the Confederacy, while 20% fought for the Union.

In Newton County the percentage was nearly reversed with a reported 75% of the men enlisted for the Union side.

Our findings were very enlightening. There appeared to be a communal interdependence in the mid to late 1800’s that overrode social prejudices. In that regard Newton County isolated communal living was the reverse of the social conflicts that were the norm in that time period.

As stated in book, “Three decades of settlement had rapidly transformed the (Buffalo) Valley from wilderness to community and cultural landscape – a place settled by many folks within a short span of time – a relatively prosperous valley, blessed with fertile farmland and imbued with an elaborate kinship structure, where most everybody was related by blood or marriage to everybody else. The very isolation of the Valley fostered in its early settlers and their descendants an admirable degree of self-sufficiency, as well as a communal interdependence.

An isolated, fiercely independent people, they differed throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains. Because they operated small, relatively autonomous farms (the average in 1850 was 28 improved acres per farm) and did not concentrate on a single cash crop, they had little need for slaves. Yet in 1860, there were three hundred and seventy-eight black slaves scattered throughout the [Buffalo River] watershed and its immediate area... The black population within the three county regions, while it consisted largely of slaves, also contained a significant proportion of free blacks.

The region, and least of all, the Valley, had no economic ties to the greater South… Its inhabitants were little affected by the social, economic, and political forces beyond the confines of their little valley. But those forces were shaping a civil war, and all—men, women, and children – were to be drawn into the vortex of that building storm.”

Our focus is on the remembrance and gravestone of Timothy Villines, nicknamed “N Tim”.

Additional background facts from the book “Old Folks Talking” by Jim Liles

His mother, Valissa “Aunt Piety” Villines, was a wedding present to “Betsy” Villines back in North Carolina (ca. 1825) when they both were girls. She moved with the Villines family to the Buffalo River Valley in 1838.

Betsy lost her husband to tuberculosis within six years after arriving in the Buffalo River Valley. She carried on with the help of her sons and daughters and “Aunt Piety”.

Betsy and Aunt Piety had an agreement they would take care of each other until death. When Betsy became feeble and senile, Aunt Piety took care of her until her death out of love and the promise.

In an irony there was a well-finished gravestone for Piety, when she died in 1884; but no stone was ever found for Betsy.

Again stated in the book,” Big Timothy Villines. Nicknamed “N Villines’ by his white friends, Tim was the youngest of the sons of Valissa Piety Villines and the only one to live out his life in the Valley. Piety’s three sons were believed fathered years before the Civil War, by a slave named Rowland.”

“Born in the Valley around 1849, Tim may have been considered more a friend than slave, to the several similarly aged children of Betsy Villines…”

“Perhaps the influence of the several Villines families in Big Buffalo Valley helped insure Tim’s acceptance into the community for the duration of his long life. One story passed down through a hundred years following the Civil War suggests how Tim may have secured a safe niche in the Valley, at an early age.

“My grandfather, Samuel Edgmon, during the Civil War lived on what is now called the “Duty place”. His house was burned and his stock was burned and his stock driven away, on two different occasions. Once he was caught and held prisoner in the John Murphy house just north of his place. The Murphys had gone over near Huntsville, where they were better protected by the Union army, which had come south to Fayetteville. The “bushwhackers” who held them prisoners were part of the notorious “Hildebrand outlaws” who operated in south Missouri and north Arkansas… This time they were holding the men for ransom, or for whatever they could get from them, and then they would shoot them. They took three of the men up the hollow, just south of the house and shot them. My grandmother, her mother, Aunt Jane Casey, and one of the Whitely women buried them there. Grandmother took us, years ago, and showed us where they buried them. She said they had no coffins, not even a blanket to wrap them in, but they did fill the graves with leaves and covered them. She did not know any of them; one was partly clothed in uniform and we believe she said Confederate. In the meantime Aunt Piety (Negro) put her boy Timothy on a mule and sent him to where the old gentleman, John Murphy, was living, for help. Mr. Murphy sent some of his young boys and some of the Penn boys and got in touch with the Union army patrol which was operating nearby. I have no record of the other men rescued there than my grandfather, nor of the number of men captured, nor the casualties in the fight, except James Murphy, who was shot through the hips and out of his saddle. His younger brother dragged him to safety. James Murphy went through life under a handicap of having to walk in a stoop position. I am telling this to show why the Murphy’s were held so highly by my mother’s people, even though they saw the Civil War in a different light, and why the Negro boy, Timothy Villines, was welcome in the homes of at least the older ones. He was only 13 or 14 years old when he made the ride. Some men took his mule away from him at Dry Fork and he went a foot the rest of the way to John Murphy’s. Yet some people don’t understand why this Negro was welcome in the homes.”

“Following the War Between the States, the transition from family property to freedom was certainly precarious for blacks in most any southern community. In Arkansas’ Big Buffalo Valley, there was potential for that transition being a mighty lonely one for Tim Villines, 16 years old when the Civil War’s conclusion effectively ended slavery. With no companion, peer, leader, or father of his race to whom to look for guidance and support, Tim must have been torn between freedom and continuing to serve Betsy.

Apparently he wasted no time in establishing himself as a man – not only a freeman, but a man of worth….

By 1880, the agricultural census for Newton County reported that Tim Villines was wrestling an admirable amount of production …

Big Tim must have been a hard working man. For a number of years, he evidently managed farm, with no help, except perhaps from his mother, then in her 60’s…

In order to achieve the production indicated on the 1880 agricultural census, Tim Villines must have been farming the most arable lands….

Sometime after 1880’s, Tim brought Nancy, a local lady-friend to meet his mother. Whereupon “Aunt Piety” is said to have exclaimed. “Lawd, son, you’ve done gone and taken up with that poor white trash!”

Imagine a young black man taking up with a white woman in the post-Civil War South – regardless of her social status- and getting away with it! Tim did so.

The saga of the Valley’s fabled black man continued well into the new century.

Family history indicates that Tim’s first wife, Nancy, died around 1888 – perhaps in childbirth, when their son Johnnie was born. Oral history tells that Tim took a second wife – a younger woman (again) a local white family.

?Living with Timothy Villines in 1910 were Johnny (21), William (15), Timmy (14), Lewis (13), Sara (9), Jessie (6), Ted (5), and Alice (3). That such a family from interracial alliance was apparently surviving nicely in the turn-of-the –century Ozarks backwoods of Arkansas is something that could not have happened in that place and time, and in such a close-knit homogenous society, without the tacit consent of the whole community… Nothing in the oral or written history contradicts the perception of peaceful coexistence – at least, through Tim’s lifetime.

Tim’s first wife and two babies were buried beside his mother, “Piety”, on a hill above the Hez Villines farmstead.

Oral history informs us that Tim was interred near second wife Rosetta and two sons, John and Willie, in Beechwoods Cemetery.