Head of Arkansas Democratic Party shot dead

[Crow The Robot]

Bill Gwatney chief of the Democratic party in Arkansas was killed in his office by a gunman. Police say 50 year old Timothy Dale Johnson, pushed past workers at the party's headquarters, entered Gwatney's office , pulled out a handgun, and shot Gwatney several times. Johnson, led police on a chase, and was killed after he fired on police. Johnson had apparantly been fired from his job at Target in Conway, AR, earlier in the day for writing graffiti on a wall.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...081303753.html

[AdminAssistant]

I heard about that yesterday. Very sad day for Arkansas. I did have a minor freak out when the news broke, as I have a number of family/friends there who work close to the capital building.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I had just been telling my coworkers Tuesday about how when I lived in Little Rock, I regularly went to the Capitol and not only walked throughout the entire building unsupervised, but was able to get into individual offices and look at pictures on desks and the like. The security was completely nonexistent. And a few blocks away at the Democratic Headquarters, even less so.

Hopefully this'll change things, though. I always thought it was atrocious that a teenager in fishnet shirts and bright red and pink hair could just wander the state senate without anyone giving a second glance.

[AdminAssistant]

I always thought it was atrocious that a teenager in fishnet shirts and bright red and pink hair could just wander the state senate without anyone giving a second glance.

I think that's just part of the culture. Laid back, easy going - I mean, it's Little Rock - not the safest place in the world, but not exactly South Compton either. I think it's nice that the Capital is/was so accessible to everyone regardless of manner or dress. I'm fairly certain that a farmer could wander around in dirty coveralls in much the same way.

On a somewhat related note, I've been to the Capital a number of times for class trips/meet the governor (and Big Sis got to be a Page for our Rep. once). And which governor did I get to meet? Jim Guy Tucker. Not President Clinton (Big Sis got to meet him), the convicted felon. Yay? I did get to meet Huckabee later, and we joked about how he sent his son to Arkansas State instead of University of Walmart Arkansas. All the valedictorians/salutatorians of each high school got to meet the Governor and First Lady, and he asked me where I was going to college (Ark. State) and he said his son was there. Nice guy.