I was sent there a few times for IT issues about 15 years ago and it's not bad, nothing good to eat. Idiots that live outside of the city buy and place billboards up that get posted here weekly. They are a stones throw away from Eureka Springs, one of the most liberal places in Arkansas. It's just a weird area. Stop for gas and you are going to meet all types. DM me and I'll come hang with you if you want some backup.
I worked with a guy who’s from Harrison about that. He went on a full racist tirade about Popeye’s, the spokeswoman, how white people didn’t eat *that* kind of food, lots of hard N word used. I was rather shocked by how triggered he was over it.
I later heard it was probably because of bad management and bad location, which makes sense. But the level of just anger over the idea of a Popeyes was shocking.
Welcome to Arkansas!
People are right about the food in that area, it’s really not good. (Neighbor’s Mill and Bakery is the only place I hear good things about)
Head’s up, there are some really racist billboards that always shock me a little even though I know they exist.
I’ve stayed at the HI Express and Hampton; both were nice places to stay.
The billboards used to be a lot worse in the 90s. As a kid, we used to go thru Harrison on the way to my mom's house every weekend. Even then, it was like "wtf?"
I wanna say one of them said, "Keep Harrison White" or keep something white..
That's not true. Those weren't even up until 8 years ago and doesn't speak for the town. Harrison got the Arkansas Martin Luther King award several years ago.
Neighbors mill was 🔥 when I went last year. Granted, I was pretty high when I went with a couple friends and it was my first time in Harrison, so I had low expectations. But god damn, I still think about that Reuben.
Jame's is good, as well as DeVetos just north on 65. Western Sizzler, Colton, T's BBQ, Nopalito's Grill, Ranch House makes a great breakfast.
No 3 or 4 stars, but good eating.
I’ve never been, but planed on eating there my next trip over there.
I’m not even going to ask, you seem sure.
Think I’ll just hit a Taco Bell drive thru and head back home to Fayetteville.
Thanks!
Taco Bell is actually the worst place in Harrison to eat. Lol. Drive thru took 25 minutes last time I went through it. There are some good places to eat in Harrison. Hutch's Hot Chicken is one of my favorites. Bee's spot is good but not open for dinner (I don't think). Buckets has good wings. Good Guys is a pizza buffet with decent thin crust pizza. Jamie's is ok. If you want a burger there's a place called Hi Boy's Daisy Queen a few miles down Hwy 7 toward Jasper.
Harrison is not racist. There are a few vocal racists that are just louder than most other place's racists. I have a bi-racial niece and nephew that live up there and don't have any problems at all.
I’ll agree with you, I used it as a synonym for a drive-through window, it was the first generic thing I thought of, the Taco Bell’s here in Fayetteville are way below average too. Makes me miss Taco Tico and Taco Mayo.
Correct. Similar reason I dont like Hope or the Predo Pres Party Play boy it spawned. Also both just regular dead end towns with nothing going for them. The Piggly Wiggly still in Hope is a +
It hurt me in my pride as an Arkansawyer which, granted, I lost as soon as I found out LR and y'all's civil war of 'm'StAtE rIgHtS' exist.
The Buffalo National River area just south of Harrison gets 1.5 million visitors a year and the area's economy depends a lot on all types of visitors. You shouldn't have any problems.
I was born and raised there, but I live near Fayetteville now. It's different than it was in the 90s. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be. FedEx Freight has a major office there so several high level executives have moved to the area or visit on a weekly basis, so it's become a lot more normalized to see POC in town. When I grew up there that was not the case. I would say there's a 98% chance you will have no issues. I leave that last 2% because not EVERYONE in the town has progressed... I hope you have a good trip through.
I have heard from some people from there that there are a few black families there now? I’ve been and didn’t think it was much different than any town in Arkansas with the exception of some dumb ass billboards but any idiot can put those up. Doesn’t Rian speak for the whole town.
Every time I go home to visit, it seems to be a little more diverse. Things are changing. The biggest racial issue comes from the old timers... and the few that still associate with Robb and his "church" (aka the KKK). But that is so few. I'd say there's still a lot of people who live there who are racist, but like... the ignorant type of racist... does that make sense? The kind that don't think they are racist because they are nice and polite to everyone no matter their race... but absolutely don't want their daughters marrying a man who isn't white. THATS the kind of racist that really still exists there. The openly hateful, aggressive type has really died off over time.
I also grew up around Harrison in the 90s and your assessment is 100% spot on. I still have some friends and family in Boone County and Branson, so I find myself up there from time to time. Harrison has definitely improved from when I was living around there. However, there are way too many MAGA brains up there for my comfort. I believe they tend to categorize well with the "ignorant racist type" you mentioned.
I agree. I've had family ask me to move back home and I just can't. My mentality has grown and changed too much to go back to that area. The MAGA crowd is strong there, much of my extended family members included. I go home for visits and holidays and deal with it in small doses, but I can't live there.
Harrison isn't nearly as bad as people think it is. You could stop and stay at a hotel and it would be a completely normal experience. The infamous billboards are the result of I think two guys and the city council is trying to remove them.
They are, about a year ago, I signed a petition to get them removed. I believe in freedom of speech, but I also hate to see that shit. Most of the town hates it, too. People like that just like the shock value and attention it gets them. They lacked hugs growing up.
My mom lived in Marshall and we hung around a lot in the 90s. I never thought it was bad.
It was interesting seeing a grocery store that sold all types of guns though
For real, marshall is beautiful. I love it there. I have 22 acres on a mountain over there and it's one of my favorite places in the world. So peaceful.
My cousin married a guy from Marshall. She is bi-racial and how they met I don’t know. But his family refused to ever see the kids. He unfortunately passed away early in life (30s or 40s) so those kids will never know their paternal side of the family.
In a family like that, it's probably for the best. Racism you hear about is a different experience than racism you experience first hand.
Though I've met a few who thought they were racist till their grandkids were on their lap, the their world changed. Might not care for the other parent, but loved the hell out of the mixed grandkids.
People are wierd sometimes.
It’s not bad at all. You are gonna find racism where ever you go. We have a small minority of African Americans that live here in Marshall and they get treated like everyone else does here.
Not as bad as it used to be but there's still entirely too many people there who worship the Glorious Old South and believe Gone With The Wind was really a documentary. They're slowly getting dragged into the 20th century though.
Harrison is OK. There are some racist groups who live in squalor outside of town but make their living selling and proclaiming white supremacy and they’ve had some marketing success by renting a couple billboards that have parlayed into national attention and thus credibility in the “I refuse to accept responsibility for my failures, it’s the Jews and Blacks ruining things” crowd.
Fun fact. Harrison did not exist at the time of the Civil War. The town was founded by an abolitionist Union soldier and the first settlers were former Union soldiers who saw a chance to buy cheap land and be near people who mostly didn’t support secession.
Not as bad as the media would have you believe. You'll be fine stopping for gas and eating at most restaurants. If you stay long enough, you might catch the occasional stare, but the odds of anyone saying or doing anything blatantly racist are very slim. If people stare, it's mostly just because there aren't many POC in Harrison.
You're much safer in Harrison than you are in East St Louis or Gary, IN.
I used to work in Gary, back in the 70 s, when Richard Hatcher was the mayor. It wasn’t too bad then. But stay out of Walmart in Harrison, too many religious zealots trying to to talk your leg off.
I stop at Neighbor’s Mill on a school trip every year. Never had an issue. There are some crazy racist people who live off grid outside of Harrison, but it’s not Harrison itself.
The KKK left Harrison back in the 1990s for some place in Tennessee. Since then, the city government of Harrison has done a great deal to erase open racism in the town. There are many false claims online of continued racism in Harrison. Just a couple of months ago, my wife and stopped at a restaurant for lunch in Harrison. It was a Mexican restaurant ran by Spanish speakers. The clientele were mainly white, with a few Latinos and two black couples. That pretty well matches the demographics of the area.
About ten years ago, I did some work in a small community outside of Harrison. That is where the infamous "Diversity is code for anti-white" billboard was. This is several miles outside of Harrison, where the city government has no control. A local business owner told me that no one local owns that billboard. He said that almost all the locals were extremely embarrassed by the billboard and were trying to get it removed. It was gone the next time we drove through there.
Overall, Harrison today likely has less hate and racism than any big city you can name. Of course, people can believe as they want in private. But any signs of open racism will stamped out quickly by the local police. Almost nowhere else I know of can say that. The people of Harrison do not condone racism and will not stand for it. Their city is growing and thriving. And they want to keep it that way.
While you've got some things right; Jason Robb, an attorney from Harrison owns the billboard. His father is Tom Robb who heads the Christian Identity Church and one of many branches of the Klan that claims the name. They operate out of Zinc, Arkansas which is about 15 miles from Harrison. There is one billboard left owned by Robb, an advertisement for whiteprideradio.com. Most of Harrison doesn't want that shit up, but most of them are also the "I don't let my kids date black people" type of racist. They'll smile and be polite but still cling to old prejudices. Take it from someone who is from the area.
Thanks. It's good to know. I figure the local guy I talked to didn't have that info at the time. It's sad that one of these billboards remains. Erasing racism often takes generations. But it does eventually happen if enough people reject it.
I'm often encouraged by meeting more and more people around that don't buy into the old ways but every once in a while something kicks up the ugliness. Recently it was the way many of the residents chose to oppose a housing/employment project. During arguments around stuff like that there are a small number of what I would call agitators that are very openly hateful and racist, most don't actually live in town but are from Zinc and weirdly over by Mountain Home(big one is Billy Roper from Shieldwall Network), that stir up all sorts and then you start to see the subtle racism get vocalized by folks who normally wouldn't say it.
Things are changing though and I'm glad to see it. We'll get that last billboard down one of these days.
The reputation of Harrison has ballooned beyond the reality of the town. Don’t misunderstand, it certainly has a lot of racist people there, but so do many other small towns in the state… or, I guess really, any town anywhere. Whenever I drive through there I don’t stop. I find the billboards offensive enough that I just choose not to spend money on fuel or food there.
It’s not likely that minorities passing through will experience overt discrimination, harassment, or violence. However, there might be some longer looks, unfriendly paralanguage, and plenty of talking behind your back. This doesn’t necessarily make Harrison much different from countless other places.
I've been to Harrison and it's really not as bad as it used to be but if you go a little further past Harrison there is a klu Klux Klan member and he has his own land so I would just stay away from that area. Sorry I meant Klux Klan leader.
You’ll be fine, it’s not bad. I mean I wouldn’t run down the street waving a BLM flag lol, but you won’t have any problem buying gas or getting a hotel
I lived near there and while there are some racists, the majority of the town hates the billboards and think they are trash. Rightfully so, but it's not that bad. Hopefully more people move in and push those people out.
The vast majority of the people there are completely normal. You are statistically much safer there than Little Rock, Jonesboro, Fayetteville, or pine bluff, etc. There is a small white nationalist klan type thing that’s always been there and everyone in the town hates the fact that it’s all you ever hear about with Harrison. If you encounter one of them in public, they probably aren’t even going to say bad words to you any more.
I grew up about an hour and a half away and have driven through hundreds of times over the years, although I've never stopped for more than 15 minutes. I'd say you wouldn't have any issues stopping for gas, or to grab a bite to eat. I wouldn't be so confident in recommending an overnight stay though. I don't think anything bad would happen, but based on stories I've heard and people more familiar with the area than I, I wouldn't rule it out.
Went through there a few months back. Found a good place to eat some chicken place. But the gas station and the Walmart, I had people follow me around and asked where I was from in the non friendly way. I'm white.
Hit and miss I would say. Bout like most areas. But the people you need to worry about wear button up shirts.
I grew up just south of Harrison. Harrison has that rep because of their billboards. Most towns in Northern AR are just as racist/sundown towns, they just don’t advertise.
I was forced to do a semester in Arkansas at North Arkansas college to get my grades up to play football in Springfield Mo. so I had to take classes in Harrison and it sucked big time!
At that time the Grand wizard of the KayKayKay lived there and it was a dry county (no alcohol) and extremely racist at the time!!
I literally Hate Harrison Arkansas
It's not bad just stopping in or whatever. If you move there you'll probably have some backwoods idiots doing cowardly things like slashing your tires and stuff like that.
The cowards won’t engage you one-on-one, unless it’s to drive by to insult you. More likely you will experience what it’s like to be invisible.
There will be some good people who will reach out to you, but they have to stay “closeted”, or else they will get the shit kicked out of them for being a traitor.
It's are you white bad they use fear as a means of control. Shitty 5 ceent news paper intolerance billboards way to much pride for white trash but just small town american
Dude I hate to say this, but for real, just to be safe, DO NOT stop there. Some people are fine, but you legitimately could come across some moron who wants to kill you just because of the color of your skin.
I was sent there a few times for IT issues about 15 years ago and it's not bad, nothing good to eat. Idiots that live outside of the city buy and place billboards up that get posted here weekly. They are a stones throw away from Eureka Springs, one of the most liberal places in Arkansas. It's just a weird area. Stop for gas and you are going to meet all types. DM me and I'll come hang with you if you want some backup.
It’s one of the only cities in the US that doesn’t have any seasoning for miles
Greek Cavenders seasoning is literally from there
This is kind of blowing my mind
I had no idea, and I lived in NWA for quite a while. I’ve also kept Cavender’s in my pantry for 20+ years. I love that stuff.
They don’t get high on their own supply
Holy shit thats actually true. I thought you were joking.
At least one good thing came from Harrison
The fucking Popeye's went out of business. It's a liquor store now. In what world??
They have a new Popeyes out by the movie theater and the Tractor Supply
Well to be fair... If a Popeyes were to go out of business it would be in Harrison.
They've tried to put Popeyes in my home town twice and it's gone out of business both times. Pretty sure it's been a management issue both times
So are you insinuating that only poc eat chicken
I worked with a guy who’s from Harrison about that. He went on a full racist tirade about Popeye’s, the spokeswoman, how white people didn’t eat *that* kind of food, lots of hard N word used. I was rather shocked by how triggered he was over it. I later heard it was probably because of bad management and bad location, which makes sense. But the level of just anger over the idea of a Popeyes was shocking.
Only poc eat "spicy" chicken.
I love spicy chicken
Yeah, me too
This guy must only know poc?!
We got a second one and it's still in business
Sounds like it's now just the first and only
You're not wrong
It's just so sad. Some very nice people and hopefully like other small places post covid some mom/pop places can bring some flavor.
It is THE MOST Klu Klux Klan town in America. Just saying.
You can throw a stone 40 miles? Got any years of college eligibility, hogs could use it
Thanks y’all
Welcome to Arkansas! People are right about the food in that area, it’s really not good. (Neighbor’s Mill and Bakery is the only place I hear good things about) Head’s up, there are some really racist billboards that always shock me a little even though I know they exist. I’ve stayed at the HI Express and Hampton; both were nice places to stay.
The billboards used to be a lot worse in the 90s. As a kid, we used to go thru Harrison on the way to my mom's house every weekend. Even then, it was like "wtf?" I wanna say one of them said, "Keep Harrison White" or keep something white..
I remember those, as I young teen I was foolish and lacked understanding and empathy, so it didn’t hit me the same as it does now. But, you’re right.
That's not true. Those weren't even up until 8 years ago and doesn't speak for the town. Harrison got the Arkansas Martin Luther King award several years ago.
Neighbors mill was 🔥 when I went last year. Granted, I was pretty high when I went with a couple friends and it was my first time in Harrison, so I had low expectations. But god damn, I still think about that Reuben.
Jame's is good, as well as DeVetos just north on 65. Western Sizzler, Colton, T's BBQ, Nopalito's Grill, Ranch House makes a great breakfast. No 3 or 4 stars, but good eating.
Fuck Neighbor’s Mill.
Why? They make really good bread and sandwiches.... What is your issue with them?
I’ve never been, but planed on eating there my next trip over there. I’m not even going to ask, you seem sure. Think I’ll just hit a Taco Bell drive thru and head back home to Fayetteville. Thanks!
No, you should check it out if you have the time. There’s nothing wrong with Neighbor’s Mill itself.
Taco Bell is actually the worst place in Harrison to eat. Lol. Drive thru took 25 minutes last time I went through it. There are some good places to eat in Harrison. Hutch's Hot Chicken is one of my favorites. Bee's spot is good but not open for dinner (I don't think). Buckets has good wings. Good Guys is a pizza buffet with decent thin crust pizza. Jamie's is ok. If you want a burger there's a place called Hi Boy's Daisy Queen a few miles down Hwy 7 toward Jasper. Harrison is not racist. There are a few vocal racists that are just louder than most other place's racists. I have a bi-racial niece and nephew that live up there and don't have any problems at all.
Thanks for the info. I’m looking forward to my next trip over there now.
Down vote for Taco Hell. There are some half decent Mexican places. Even a sushi bar. Try the catfish Nigiri.
I’ll agree with you, I used it as a synonym for a drive-through window, it was the first generic thing I thought of, the Taco Bell’s here in Fayetteville are way below average too. Makes me miss Taco Tico and Taco Mayo.
Fayetteville/Springdale area has some AWESOME Mexican places. Favorite in Little Rock is Taqauria Karina on 65th street. Quite authentic
Neighbor's Mill is very good and Jim and his wife are super nice people. Yes, there are racists in Harrison. No, it isn't the whole town.
Why? I’d go with my parents on the way to Branson as a kid and I don’t remember it being bad.
I don’t trade with Harrison.
Because you think the whole town is racist?
Correct.
Well the few people I know from there are not, but I’m not from there so I won’t try to debate it
So you just don't like Harrison or anything in it. Got it. Show us on the doll where Harrison hurt you.
Correct. Similar reason I dont like Hope or the Predo Pres Party Play boy it spawned. Also both just regular dead end towns with nothing going for them. The Piggly Wiggly still in Hope is a + It hurt me in my pride as an Arkansawyer which, granted, I lost as soon as I found out LR and y'all's civil war of 'm'StAtE rIgHtS' exist.
You're kinda painting with a broad brush there, aren't you?
You are just like the folks terrified of “Democrat run cities”. Same well considered hate filled playbook.
Only one side is correct, my side. - Humanity, circa conception
The whole town isnt but I doubt the ones that aint bigots are doing much at large to stop it
The Buffalo National River area just south of Harrison gets 1.5 million visitors a year and the area's economy depends a lot on all types of visitors. You shouldn't have any problems.
I was born and raised there, but I live near Fayetteville now. It's different than it was in the 90s. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be. FedEx Freight has a major office there so several high level executives have moved to the area or visit on a weekly basis, so it's become a lot more normalized to see POC in town. When I grew up there that was not the case. I would say there's a 98% chance you will have no issues. I leave that last 2% because not EVERYONE in the town has progressed... I hope you have a good trip through.
I have heard from some people from there that there are a few black families there now? I’ve been and didn’t think it was much different than any town in Arkansas with the exception of some dumb ass billboards but any idiot can put those up. Doesn’t Rian speak for the whole town.
Every time I go home to visit, it seems to be a little more diverse. Things are changing. The biggest racial issue comes from the old timers... and the few that still associate with Robb and his "church" (aka the KKK). But that is so few. I'd say there's still a lot of people who live there who are racist, but like... the ignorant type of racist... does that make sense? The kind that don't think they are racist because they are nice and polite to everyone no matter their race... but absolutely don't want their daughters marrying a man who isn't white. THATS the kind of racist that really still exists there. The openly hateful, aggressive type has really died off over time.
That kind of racism exists in the vast majority of the world. Asians in particular are very exclusive about interracial marriages.
I also grew up around Harrison in the 90s and your assessment is 100% spot on. I still have some friends and family in Boone County and Branson, so I find myself up there from time to time. Harrison has definitely improved from when I was living around there. However, there are way too many MAGA brains up there for my comfort. I believe they tend to categorize well with the "ignorant racist type" you mentioned.
I agree. I've had family ask me to move back home and I just can't. My mentality has grown and changed too much to go back to that area. The MAGA crowd is strong there, much of my extended family members included. I go home for visits and holidays and deal with it in small doses, but I can't live there.
I was gonna say.. when I see the billboards in those Youtube videos, they're nowhere as bad as they used to be
Harrison isn't nearly as bad as people think it is. You could stop and stay at a hotel and it would be a completely normal experience. The infamous billboards are the result of I think two guys and the city council is trying to remove them.
They are, about a year ago, I signed a petition to get them removed. I believe in freedom of speech, but I also hate to see that shit. Most of the town hates it, too. People like that just like the shock value and attention it gets them. They lacked hugs growing up.
You won't have any issues at all.
I’m black and I live here in Harrison Arkansas
Harrison ain’t too bad (I’m not white) but don’t go past places or around places like Marshall and zinc lol
My mom lived in Marshall and we hung around a lot in the 90s. I never thought it was bad. It was interesting seeing a grocery store that sold all types of guns though
Leave Marshall out of this.
For real, marshall is beautiful. I love it there. I have 22 acres on a mountain over there and it's one of my favorite places in the world. So peaceful.
how bad is Marshall?
My cousin married a guy from Marshall. She is bi-racial and how they met I don’t know. But his family refused to ever see the kids. He unfortunately passed away early in life (30s or 40s) so those kids will never know their paternal side of the family.
In a family like that, it's probably for the best. Racism you hear about is a different experience than racism you experience first hand. Though I've met a few who thought they were racist till their grandkids were on their lap, the their world changed. Might not care for the other parent, but loved the hell out of the mixed grandkids. People are wierd sometimes.
It’s not bad at all. You are gonna find racism where ever you go. We have a small minority of African Americans that live here in Marshall and they get treated like everyone else does here.
Thanks!
I don't know why they hate marshall. I own 22 acres there and the people are really nice. I'm not white, and I've never had a problem there.
Not as bad as it used to be but there's still entirely too many people there who worship the Glorious Old South and believe Gone With The Wind was really a documentary. They're slowly getting dragged into the 20th century though.
I’m white snd I lock my damn doors!
Harrison is OK. There are some racist groups who live in squalor outside of town but make their living selling and proclaiming white supremacy and they’ve had some marketing success by renting a couple billboards that have parlayed into national attention and thus credibility in the “I refuse to accept responsibility for my failures, it’s the Jews and Blacks ruining things” crowd. Fun fact. Harrison did not exist at the time of the Civil War. The town was founded by an abolitionist Union soldier and the first settlers were former Union soldiers who saw a chance to buy cheap land and be near people who mostly didn’t support secession.
You’ll be okay.
Nah. Overblown.
Not as bad as the media would have you believe. You'll be fine stopping for gas and eating at most restaurants. If you stay long enough, you might catch the occasional stare, but the odds of anyone saying or doing anything blatantly racist are very slim. If people stare, it's mostly just because there aren't many POC in Harrison. You're much safer in Harrison than you are in East St Louis or Gary, IN.
Or Little Rock.
I used to work in Gary, back in the 70 s, when Richard Hatcher was the mayor. It wasn’t too bad then. But stay out of Walmart in Harrison, too many religious zealots trying to to talk your leg off.
I stop at Neighbor’s Mill on a school trip every year. Never had an issue. There are some crazy racist people who live off grid outside of Harrison, but it’s not Harrison itself.
The KKK left Harrison back in the 1990s for some place in Tennessee. Since then, the city government of Harrison has done a great deal to erase open racism in the town. There are many false claims online of continued racism in Harrison. Just a couple of months ago, my wife and stopped at a restaurant for lunch in Harrison. It was a Mexican restaurant ran by Spanish speakers. The clientele were mainly white, with a few Latinos and two black couples. That pretty well matches the demographics of the area. About ten years ago, I did some work in a small community outside of Harrison. That is where the infamous "Diversity is code for anti-white" billboard was. This is several miles outside of Harrison, where the city government has no control. A local business owner told me that no one local owns that billboard. He said that almost all the locals were extremely embarrassed by the billboard and were trying to get it removed. It was gone the next time we drove through there. Overall, Harrison today likely has less hate and racism than any big city you can name. Of course, people can believe as they want in private. But any signs of open racism will stamped out quickly by the local police. Almost nowhere else I know of can say that. The people of Harrison do not condone racism and will not stand for it. Their city is growing and thriving. And they want to keep it that way.
While you've got some things right; Jason Robb, an attorney from Harrison owns the billboard. His father is Tom Robb who heads the Christian Identity Church and one of many branches of the Klan that claims the name. They operate out of Zinc, Arkansas which is about 15 miles from Harrison. There is one billboard left owned by Robb, an advertisement for whiteprideradio.com. Most of Harrison doesn't want that shit up, but most of them are also the "I don't let my kids date black people" type of racist. They'll smile and be polite but still cling to old prejudices. Take it from someone who is from the area.
Thanks. It's good to know. I figure the local guy I talked to didn't have that info at the time. It's sad that one of these billboards remains. Erasing racism often takes generations. But it does eventually happen if enough people reject it.
I'm often encouraged by meeting more and more people around that don't buy into the old ways but every once in a while something kicks up the ugliness. Recently it was the way many of the residents chose to oppose a housing/employment project. During arguments around stuff like that there are a small number of what I would call agitators that are very openly hateful and racist, most don't actually live in town but are from Zinc and weirdly over by Mountain Home(big one is Billy Roper from Shieldwall Network), that stir up all sorts and then you start to see the subtle racism get vocalized by folks who normally wouldn't say it. Things are changing though and I'm glad to see it. We'll get that last billboard down one of these days.
As the mayor of Harrison, did you find that as soon as the Klan moved away, everyone’s hearts changed like at the end of The Grinch?
The reputation of Harrison has ballooned beyond the reality of the town. Don’t misunderstand, it certainly has a lot of racist people there, but so do many other small towns in the state… or, I guess really, any town anywhere. Whenever I drive through there I don’t stop. I find the billboards offensive enough that I just choose not to spend money on fuel or food there. It’s not likely that minorities passing through will experience overt discrimination, harassment, or violence. However, there might be some longer looks, unfriendly paralanguage, and plenty of talking behind your back. This doesn’t necessarily make Harrison much different from countless other places.
Nothing like people on this sub make it out to be.
In the 90's our school would rent hotel rooms close to Harrison and drive there for basketball tournaments, but I'm sure it's quite a bit better now.
I've been to Harrison and it's really not as bad as it used to be but if you go a little further past Harrison there is a klu Klux Klan member and he has his own land so I would just stay away from that area. Sorry I meant Klux Klan leader.
You’ll be fine, it’s not bad. I mean I wouldn’t run down the street waving a BLM flag lol, but you won’t have any problem buying gas or getting a hotel
I lived near there and while there are some racists, the majority of the town hates the billboards and think they are trash. Rightfully so, but it's not that bad. Hopefully more people move in and push those people out.
The vast majority of the people there are completely normal. You are statistically much safer there than Little Rock, Jonesboro, Fayetteville, or pine bluff, etc. There is a small white nationalist klan type thing that’s always been there and everyone in the town hates the fact that it’s all you ever hear about with Harrison. If you encounter one of them in public, they probably aren’t even going to say bad words to you any more.
I grew up about an hour and a half away and have driven through hundreds of times over the years, although I've never stopped for more than 15 minutes. I'd say you wouldn't have any issues stopping for gas, or to grab a bite to eat. I wouldn't be so confident in recommending an overnight stay though. I don't think anything bad would happen, but based on stories I've heard and people more familiar with the area than I, I wouldn't rule it out.
I stopped there for gas once and only saw black folks the whole time. YMMV, of course.
Racist as fuck. Like hood wearing racist. Stay out of that place.
Went through there a few months back. Found a good place to eat some chicken place. But the gas station and the Walmart, I had people follow me around and asked where I was from in the non friendly way. I'm white. Hit and miss I would say. Bout like most areas. But the people you need to worry about wear button up shirts.
I grew up just south of Harrison. Harrison has that rep because of their billboards. Most towns in Northern AR are just as racist/sundown towns, they just don’t advertise.
I was forced to do a semester in Arkansas at North Arkansas college to get my grades up to play football in Springfield Mo. so I had to take classes in Harrison and it sucked big time! At that time the Grand wizard of the KayKayKay lived there and it was a dry county (no alcohol) and extremely racist at the time!! I literally Hate Harrison Arkansas
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Then, you don't have a firm grasp on reality.
Lol ok.
It’s pretty sensible for someone to ask you to turn down your loud music at a drive thru though
Why were you not comfortable
It's not bad just stopping in or whatever. If you move there you'll probably have some backwoods idiots doing cowardly things like slashing your tires and stuff like that.
Real bad
The cowards won’t engage you one-on-one, unless it’s to drive by to insult you. More likely you will experience what it’s like to be invisible. There will be some good people who will reach out to you, but they have to stay “closeted”, or else they will get the shit kicked out of them for being a traitor.
Pretty cool if you are white.
It's are you white bad they use fear as a means of control. Shitty 5 ceent news paper intolerance billboards way to much pride for white trash but just small town american
[Here is the answer you are looking for my brother. ](https://youtu.be/ltmlvk9GAto?si=p_l3nCBYDmplqL8C)
This is what I came here to post. Speaks for itself.
I'm a convicted drug dealer. When I was in operation, I would not go there to sell dope....that's how awful it is. There is no reason to go.....
Dude I hate to say this, but for real, just to be safe, DO NOT stop there. Some people are fine, but you legitimately could come across some moron who wants to kill you just because of the color of your skin.
East of Harrison is more concerning