Parris Towers residents voice frustrations over apartment maintenance, safety

Two weeks after a shooting at Parris Towers Apartments in Little Rock, those living there say safety isn’t the only concern they have.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Two weeks after a shooting at a Little Rock apartment complex, residents have been sharing their complaints of safety concerns and maintenance issues within the building.

The complex in question is the Parris Towers Apartments in southeast Little Rock, where 53-year-old Larry Turner was arrested on July 19th after a shooting that left four people injured.

Samantha Bell is a student who lives at the apartments, and said she has a faulty refrigerator and a hole in her ceiling.

“I put in numerous of work orders for these things to be fixed,” Bell described. “And they have not been fixed yet.”

Another tenant, Loveeta Watkins, said her second-floor apartment also has its fair share of problems.

“I had bugs in my apartment,” Watkins said. “The shower has mold on it. I have holes in my apartment, in the wall.”

The second-floor hallway also has loose floorboards, broken door handles, and more.

Watkins has records where she has asked for all these things to be fixed, but she said it hasn’t happened.

“The maintenance people never got around to doing it,” Watkins said. “And they’ve been telling me that they’re gonna fix my apartment for almost a year.”

Tenants also complained of safety issues, related to last month’s shooting and otherwise.

Watkins has reported multiple instances of theft to the Little Rock Police Department. With no gate and little security presence, Bell said, safety and security have been a real concern.

“They let anybody in,” Bell said. “We had a situation not too long ago… dealing with someone getting shot or something like that. In the parking lot too, people’s cars get broken into, with busted windows, just things like that.”

Other tenants did not want to appear on camera for various reasons including fear of retaliation, but spoke of similar problems that aren’t addressed, like leaks and bugs.

“They have no standards or respect for some people that live in this building,” Watkins said.

Bell said she hopes to move soon.

“I’ve been here far too long,” Bell added. “And I’m tired of all the issues that I’m dealing with.”

Staff at Parris Towers referred us to their owners, Wisconsin-based Gorman and Company, for comment. 

Their CEO explained to us that he meets with the site management team at Parris Towers often and will take a look at any outstanding work orders.

In addition, safety at the complex is expected to be discussed at Thursday night’s meeting of the Little Rock Downtown Neighborhood Association.

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