Three members of the Anchorage Assembly will on Tuesday introduce a new ordinance that would reinstate criminal penalties for unauthorized camping on public property. The effort is meant to address the lawless criminal encampments that have overtaken much of the city.
The proposal, sponsored by Assembly Members Keith McCormick (South Anchorage, Girdwood), Scott Myers, and Jared Goecker (both representing Chugiak, Eagle River, and Birchwood), would amend sections of the Anchorage Municipal Code to classify unlawful camping on public premises as a class B misdemeanor. The ordinance also includes enforcement protocols that aim to comply with recent court rulings, including the US Supreme Court’s decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which gives localities the authority to police and abate these encampments.
In 2024, the Assembly debated two previous ordinances that attempted to reintroduce criminal penalties for squatting on public land. One of those ordinances, AO 2024-26, had its criminal provisions stripped before the final version (AO 2024-26(S)) was adopted. Another proposal, AO 2024-39, which retained those penalties, was postponed indefinitely despite strong public testimony in favor of enforcement options beyond simple abatement.
Since then, the municipality has had to rely solely on abatement measures outlined in Title 15 of the code to address illegal encampments, a process that has proven slow and ineffective at reducing the spread of camps in children’s parks, trails, greenbelts, along waterways, and in parking lots and other public spaces.
The ordinance directly addresses the gaps left behind by previous legislative efforts and provides law enforcement with a tool, used successfully in other cities like Tacoma, to help restore public safety and the shared use of our public spaces.
Davis Park in the Mountain View neighborhood has been a frequent site for dozens of encampments that can grow elaborate into multi-story structures. Chester Creek, Ship Creek, Campbell Creek greenbelts, Third and Ingra, and Spenard are also locations of notable encampments, some that feature things like like stolen outhouses and generators.
Modeled after Tacoma’s 2022 “Use of Public Property” ordinance, the Anchorage proposal would apply to individuals who knowingly camp or store personal belongings on public land, and violations would be charged as misdemeanors. The ordinance also includes provisions designed to align with a legal framework established by federal courts, which have emphasized that cities must ensure adequate shelter options before enforcing anti-camping laws.
A year ago, the Assembly’s homelessness chairman Felix Rivera said no such ordinance would ever pass.
“It is important to note that the ruling addresses the criminalization and prosecution of people sleeping in public space. It has never been the practice or policy of the Municipality to actively prosecute people experiencing homelessness for the simple act of camping in public,” Rivera said at the time. “Most recently, this April, the Assembly indefinitely postponed AO 2024-39, an ordinance proposed by the Bronson Administration which would have amended Title 8 to criminally penalize public camping.”
Rivera said “Today, the Municipality has all the tools we need to humanely address life, health, and safety in our community. Abatement is only one of the many tools and the Assembly approved AO 2024-55(S), As Amended, revising the regulations that prioritize abatement just last month.”
Rivera’s opposition to the ordinance last year may indicate that this year’s effort will also fail to pass the Assembly and that the vagrant camps will simply be moved around through periodic abatement efforts.
Although the ordinance will be introduced at Tuesday’s regular meeting, public comment will not be taken until June 24, at the earliest, before the measure can proceed to a vote from the entire 12-member Assembly.
The meeting is in the Assembly Chambers at the Loussac Library, 3600 Denali, Room 108. starting at around 5 pm. The complete agenda is at this link.
Live Streaming and Archived meetings/Podcasts at http://www.muni.org/watchnow
Live Streaming available on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@moameetings
How about adding privately owned property as well and enforce NO TRESSPASSING on those.
“It has never been the practice or policy of the Municipality to actively prosecute people experiencing homelessness for the simple act of camping in public,” Rivera said at the time.”
Pigman Rivera is not only a contemptible marxist, he is an egregious liar. That was EXACTLY the policy of the municipality, until mail-in voting magically led to an overwhelming marxist majority on the municipal assembly.
Exactly.
This is why its rarely worth engaging in local politics at this point. Even Bronson only managed to win by a hair after the opposition was hobbled by a gross sex scandal and a year of highly unpopular COVID restrictions.
Until the rigged voting system installed by this bunch in 2017 is repealed, we will suffer more disastrous policies, high taxes, and arrogance from the Assembly. These scumbags simply aren’t threatened by the electorate – because they know they can’t be removed at the ballot box until we return to traditional in-person municipal voting.
I only see two ways to slay this beast – through the local initiative process.
A) Return to municipal in-person voting and uncouple the PFD application from voting registration.
B) Synchronize local electrons with State and Federal votes in November. This will boost general turnout. Otherwise the local voting is hopelessly dominated by the public unions and special interests.
Sure, we had leftists on the Assembly in Dick Traini’s day, but this bunch knows they are insulated from the electorate through a rigged voting system. Simple as. Remove that system and Anchorage will once again have the option to choose a better path forward.
If anything is DOA, this is.
And, it matters little what law is on the books, our esteemed Mayor will not allow enforcement. Not against her preferred constituents.
Actually… On second thought.
.
Of course LaFrance will allow enforcement, in fact, she will insist upon it.
.
If she did not, how else would she be able to funnel taxpayer dollars to Zalatel’s organization, and to Mark Begich properties? Mark has several hotels that need top to bottom renovations, and the plan is to fill them with vagrants at $500+ a night, using the funds to renovate the building. Then kick the vagrants out. (See the Aviator/Wildbirch hotel downtown for an example).
.
If this does not happen, I will be extremely surprised.
This will be a bait and switch. Hidden somewhere in the proposal is an Easter egg that will be horrible for Anchorage taxpayers. “Unauthorized squatters?” Are their authorized squatters? With our assembly’s proclivities for double-speak and obfuscation, anything is possible.
Part of the problem is people taking squats on sidewalks downtown and all over the place
I talked to a business owner downtown. She said that if she wants to arrest someone off her premises for vagrancy, she will have to pay a fee before the police can show up.
Apparently, her taxes are not enough to cover police services.
Brain-dead imbeciles, and no, we don’t mean the bums.
.
Should be fun watching Peoples’ Code Enforcers “penalize” people who’ve nothing to lose.
.
“Criminal penalties” …like what …thirty days in the hole?
.
Second, fifth, twentieth offenses get “penalized” how? They just disappear?
.
Hilarious part is reinstating criminal penalties means crime stats go through the roof, means Anchorage, the welcoming city, finally becomes #1 at something.
.
Anyway, weren’t Zaletel’s Zoo –and the Sulte Sales Tax– meant to solve this problem?
The Dunbar alcohol tax was supposed to solve the homeless problem.
Significant jail time would mean detox. That alone is a win.
Speaking of crime stats, a website called neighborhood scout shows Anchorage crime rate is 5, out of 100. Meaning 95 % of America has less crime. (Fairbanks is 3, Memphis is 0, Baltimore is 1). Pretty sad.
Penalties? What are those?
If squatting is illegal, what is an unauthorized squatter? We authorize a crime once in a while?
I keep hearing we have no room in our jail for local criminals.
Plenty of room evidently, why don’t we “fly in” some of the thieves from Spenard?
This is what happens when conservatives dont show up and vote.
We don’t know who shows up and votes.
.
We are told who shows up and votes by the same unelected employees who work for Assembly members running for re-election.
Absolutely correct. Conservatives need to get out and VOTE! If people are sick of this nonsense get out and VOTE!
Someone needs to tell Felix policies change as the environment dictates. People do not feel safe and measures need to be taken for public safety, as well as safety for the homeless.
Safety for the homeless is a luxury the city should pay for only after ALL the needs of the taxpayers are met. Not before, not because a bond is buying police and fire equipment, but after all the needs of the taxpayers are met.
And, as with other handouts and butt-wiping for the homeless by this Assembly, they’ll probably insert a line item that will pay any and all “penalties” for those ticketed.
Rivera said “Today, the Municipality has all the tools we need to humanely address life, health, and safety in our community.…..”. Well then, Mr. Rivera, address it and get the litter, bio-hazard, chemical waste and scum out of the parks etc. where children play.
The far left destroy everything they touch. Every major city run by Democrats has high crime. The top ten cities in the USA for homicide are ALL Democrat run. One has to marvel that Democrats can get elected when they display the mental age and wisdom of a 13 year old.
Here’s a reminder of what Democrats embrace, and how much Democrats hate the environment. Democrats want trash, and human waste to flow into our rivers and oceans. E Coil levels in our oceans next to Democrat run cities are higher due to the massive amount of untreated sewage caused by their insane policies.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtTvzr0le3k
How about removing those squatting in assembly seats!!!!