Bobbie Taylor (right), an organizer with Arkansas Renters United, stands with protesters and residents Sunday on the sidewalk outside the Spanish Valley Apartments on Baseline Road in Little Rock. ( Arkansas Democrat-Gazette / Thomas Metthe

Ely Frankley didn't just protest for better-quality housing for herself -- she said she protested for her neighbors' children who are feeling the effects of the mold that colors air vents in the apartments black.

Frankley, 32, and about 20 other people, most of them residents, gathered in front of the Spanish Valley Apartments in southwest Little Rock on Sunday, clutching signs and demanding better living conditions at the complex.

Residents have complained of mold, laundry facilities that don't work, rat infestations, water faucets that must be turned on with pliers, and other problems.

"I share the same story as other tenants," Frankley said.

The Spanish Valley Apartments, a complex off Baseline Road, has nearly 300 units. It's owned by AMG Realty LLC, an Illinois-based company. The company owns at least four other properties in Little Rock.

Lev Miller, a representative from AMG, said in an emailed statement that the company is working to make repairs and that several residents are behind in payments by thousands of dollars.

Miller added that fixing some problems may take time and that no problems at the complex "would make the living conditions of residents unlivable or unsafe."

"In summary, we feel those complaining are, for the most part those who owe rent and have no intention to pay and are using the rally to distract from their responsibilities," the statement read.

Since the start of 2018, apartments at the property have been cited for over 200 code violations, many of them marked "life safety" issues, public records show.

A news release from Arkansas Renters United also noted tenants' complaints about harassment by management, such as receiving eviction notices even when their rent has been paid and male maintenance workers going into female tenants' apartments unannounced while the tenants were showering or in bed.

Several tenants have reported harassment of this type in previous interviews with the newspaper.

Ken Richardson, the Little Rock city director for Ward 2, went to the rally. His ward includes the Spanish Valley Apartments.

He said it's his first time protesting living conditions at an apartment complex, but after hearing from residents, he thought he should be there to support them.

"It's clear if they had alternatives, they wouldn't stay in these conditions," Richardson said. "Safe housing is not a privilege, it's a human right."

Many Spanish Valley residents have lower incomes. Thirty of the residents have Section 8 vouchers through the Metropolitan Housing Alliance in Little Rock.

In a previous interview, Jeannie Owens, the housing choice voucher director, said all Section 8 properties are inspected before a tenant moves in, when the tenant requests an inspection and every two years.

Several Spanish Valley residents also protested at the Arkansas Realtors Association's annual conference in Memphis on Sept. 16. They were asking that the association halt its opposition to an implied warranty of habitability law, which sets minimum standards for rental housing.

Arkansas is the only state in the nation without such a law.

Rickey Tillman, 51, went to the Memphis protest and said he moved out of his apartment at Spanish Valley on Wednesday, but he wanted to support his former neighbors.

"Something's got to be done about it [the complex]," he said Sunday.

Metro on 09/23/2019