Fort Smith’s color problem

Talk Business & Politics editorial

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Not only is the troubling low number of African Americans employed by the Fort Smith police and fire departments an embarrassment, but the issue should be a concern to anyone interested in the city and region having a better economic future for all races.

A discrimination/retaliation lawsuit filed recently against the Fort Smith Police Department brought into the light what has been a closeted issue. The issue is that of the 313 hired by the police (164 officers) and fire (149 uniformed members) departments, only four are black. That is 1.27% of the two groups, which is considerably lower than the 9% of the city’s population that is black.

The problem is more pronounced at the police department, where only one black officer is employed. That officer, Wendall Sampson Jr., is suing the department for discrimination/retaliation.

It is – and has been – easy for a primarily white leadership class to dismiss the issue as minor; as not a threat to citizen safety and security; having no impact on the city’s socio-economic health; as being only a cause for alarm among the politically-correct crowd. Not only are those erroneous assumptions, but they either ignore or discount the value of 9% of the city’s population.

Police and Fire department leadership blames most of the problem on too few black applicants. But some suspension of belief is required to accept that, for example, no black police officer has been hired in the past 17 years. If only two qualified black applicants entered the process each year, there should now be well more than just one black officer on the force. The interim fire chief readily admitted that the department does nothing to seek more minority applicants.

To be sure, the true cause(s) of why so few African Americans have been hired is difficult to determine. However, we may learn during the discrimination lawsuit process if the fault is more aligned with unintentional institutional bias, or trends toward a culture of overt discrimination. (The issue is also now more complicated following the recent firing of Baridi Nkokheli, the city’s only African American department head. That action is likely to result in a lawsuit.)

There are at least three reasons why this issue should be on a priority list for the Fort Smith Board of Directors and the next city administrator.

First, having city government – and especially key departments that interact with citizens – more reflect the community is simply the right thing to do. A frequent sign of leadership possessing integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. Well, now we are looking.

Second, lawsuits are expensive – especially the way legal matters are managed by the city of Fort Smith. It’s truly a wonder a discrimination lawsuit has not been filed until now. To have been dismissive of the issue for so long was nothing short of an open invitation for a lawsuit.

And last, people are watching. Those people include entrepreneurs, university students, young families, franchise owners, talented execs being recruited by Fort Smith area companies, physicians, tourists, sports tournament organizers, investment firms, and university professors. The odds are low anyone would avoid moving to the city or doing business in the city wholly based on racial equality in key city departments. But it’s likely to be a factor. For example, Fort Smith is in the process of hiring a new city administrator. A superbly qualified black applicant with an impeccable record in business and/or government could be forgiven for thinking his/her talents might find more fertile ground elsewhere.

And there have been enough studies in the past several decades to believe a city/region more inclusive in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation is more vibrant at the top end of the national business cycle and less vulnerable on the low end.

With all that being said, there is a good chance this editorial will be necessary 10 years from now – and possibly including employment issues related to women and other races. Considering how the city of Fort Smith tackles big problems, we are not confident this issue will be addressed promptly or with the attention it deserves.