Arkansas commission approves design plans for new Ten Commandments display

The Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission has approved the design plans for a new Ten Commandments display outside of the state capitol to replace a similar monument that was destroyed by a mentally ill man earlier this year.

The original monument, which was proposed by Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Bigelow) in 2015, was destroyed after Michael Tate Reed crashed his vehicle into the display in late June, less than 24 hours after its installation outside the state capitol.

According to a report from KNWA on Dec. 12, the commission had approved new security measures for a new monument at the capitol. Four concrete barriers will be installed to protect the new display to prevent a repeat of the June incident.

"There's nothing you can do to make it perfect," Rep. Bob Ballinger (R-Berryville) said about the new security measures following a hearing earlier this month. "We think that considering cost, time and everything, we've done everything reasonably possible," he went on to say.

Reed, who recorded a video of himself when he rammed down the display, had been charged with criminal mischief, but in November, a Pulaski County judge found him mentally unfit to stand trial based on a diagnosis by state doctors.

He had also been arrested in 2014 for the destruction of another Ten Commandments monument in Oklahoma, but prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges in that case. A hearing has been set for September 2018 to discuss Reed's mental status.

The new Arkansas monument, which had been funded with private donations, is expected to be installed within a few weeks.

The American History and Heritage Foundation handled the fundraising for both the original and the new monument to ensure that no taxpayer money was used for the display. Faith-based entertainment company PureFlix had contributed $25,000 to help replace the destroyed monument. Nearly $82,000 was raised for the monument, according to the foundation's GoFundMe page.

Rapert, who serves as the president of the foundation, recorded a video in June to explain why the display was both valuable and legal.

"We have a beautiful capitol grounds, but we did not have a monument that actually honored the historical moral foundation of law. And today we have now, through the support of people all over the country, mostly from Arkansas, been able to erect this monument at zero taxpayer expense," he said.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has already expressed plans to sue over the installation of the monument at the state capitol.