City Director Erma Hendrix has long seemed a few bricks shy (memorably, she stooged for G.W. Bush in his road show to privatize Social Security), but she seemingly outdid herself this week by scapegoating gay people in her latest broadside against a day center for homeless in the former Job Corps building at I-30 and 21st. The city has the matter under study. Neighbors have objected. "A lot of them are homosexuals. They're criminals," Hendrix was quoted in the Democrat-Gazette in explaining her opposition to the homeless center in her ward.

It has come to our attention that in the city of Little Rock’s quest for a location for a homeless center city Board Director Erma Hendrix has weighed in with some extremely homophobic remarks regarding a proposed location. In response to the proposed location - the former Job Corps site, sandwiched between Interstates 30 and 630, Director Hendrix is quoted as saying, “A lot of them are homosexuals. They’re criminals.” This is an outrageous tactic to try and keep those most vulnerable in our society, the homeless, from having access to a center in a particular area of the city. Scapegoating the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community to support this agenda is inappropriate and inexcusable scare. We are asking our membership to POLITELY contact Mayor Stodola and Director Hendrix and ask that these remarks be retracted and that an apology is issued to our community. And finally urge the city to support the implementation of a homeless center as soon as possible.