A proposed ordinance that would restrict camping in public parks, next to trails and schools, and some other areas across Anchorage was postponed Friday during a special meeting of the Anchorage Assembly. The measure will now be considered next week.
The proposal, which drew opposition during its final scheduled hearing, would make it a criminal offense to camp within 200 feet of roads, trails, railroads, and other rights-of-way. The restricted zone expands to 500 feet in proximity to schools and playgrounds.
Currently, vagrant encampments are lining greenbelts and trails throughout Anchorage, making them unsafe for families. Last week, the city announced it had removed 744,000 pounds of debris from Davis Park, where an encampment has been present on and off for years. Meanwhile, fire after fire has been extinguished by the Anchorage Fire Department in greenbelt encampments.
In addition to regulating camping locations, the ordinance includes provisions that would criminalize the unauthorized construction of structures on public land. In some encampments, there is de facto homesteading going on with multi-story structures built by the community of thieves and drug addicts.
The Assembly will take up the measure again at a regular meeting scheduled for July 15.
It’s one thing to pass laws and ordinances, now will they actually enforce them?
Unfortunately, it appears this is nothing less than a Donny-Brook show.
Anchorage deserves a helluva lot better leadership than what we have!
Eliminating camping within 200 feet or 500 feet only creates a bigger problem in the future. This may sound great that they are now out of sight and out of mind but can you imagine having to clean up over 700,000 pounds of trash that are even deeper in the woods than they are now. It will create huge dumps in the middle of our forest and green areas around Anchorage. Eliminate camping. Anywhere that is not a designated camping area inside the municipality of Anchorage. Enforce the laws we have, STOP playing games and fix the problem.
Not surprised in the least… liberal assembly kicking the can down the road, because they don’t want to make the tough decision to get tough on the vagrant s taking over the city, which is a “problem” of their own design, and continue to look the other way while continuing to enrich the “Anchorage Homeless Industrial Complex”. It’s the self-licking ice-cream cone you here tell about… they don’t want to resolve the problem, they just want to make it appear as if they might want to… maybe… a little bit…
Assembly Leadership, or lack thereof, is a joke.
I am surprised these people can look themselves in the mirror.
Whatever power that convinced these people to act in such brazen disregard for public safety and COMMUNITY is clearly enough to keep them going.
Is it money?! There is obviously and endgame here, to completely drive Anchorage into the ground!
This week Fitch downgraded the MOA’s debt outlook to negative. MOA hasn’t produced audited financials since 2022. So the Mayor and Assembly don’t even know how much money they have to spend outside back of the envelope math.
‘https://www.fitchratings.com/research/us-public-finance/fitch-affirms-anchorage-ak-idr-at-aa-outlook-revised-to-negative-10-07-2025
So, it’s not that big of a deal to Assembly members, more important stuff’s on their busy agenda?
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Seems reasonable to believe their strategy is deliberately winding people up so they demand a ten or twelve percent sales tax, whatever it takes to fix the bum problem.
Whatever the Anchorage Assembly comes up with, know this: It will make the vagrant problem worse and cost more money. This Assembly and Mayor DO NOT WANT to solve the problem.
What makes you think they don’t want to solve the problem?
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No right or wrong answer, just curious.
If they had any morals and common sense they would not have fought so hard against the former Mayor Bronson’s plan to shelter them in a huge dome tent near the hospital and other mental treatment facilities.
Anybody with any common sense at all knows perfectly well the huge majority of the people moving from the sidewalk to the woods and now wandering around looking for another place to build piles of trash(their belongings) are in desperate need of some form of professional treatment.
They say their goal is to create housing for all of them which is a pipe dream.
Not going to happen as they will continue to live in the same conditions of alcohol and drug addicted behavior with the police and EMT’s chasing them around town trying to save their lives from overdose and public nuisance.
Not only destroying what is left of their life there will be many victims of rape assault and domestic violence as the carnage will take its toll on the women and weak who cannot defend themselves.
And yet, the Muni tells Walmart it can’t allow overnight stays by rv’s and travel trailers on it’s property which it owns and is taxed for owning.
ALL public land. Time to end the whack a mole.
The mentally ill have to be cared for. If possible voluntary SOBER inpatient treatment in an unlocked facility. If necessary SOBER inpatient treatment in a locked facility. Not a revolving door which means the legislature will have to produce a product that is lasting, compassionate and enforceable.
The drunks and addicts are deserving NOTHING. If we must lock them in a minimum 6 month rehab with some basic societal skills training. Twice. After the second long term rehab failure withdraw all support. We will undoubtedly need more prison space. NO frills, basic grub and a bed at least two miles off a major highway and 25 miles from a population center, maybe in a swamp. These people must become part of civilization or banned from it.