As Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance begins to clear street people camping on a stub of Fairbanks Street in midtown Anchorage, adjacent to Home Depot on Tudor, encampments are popping up across the city, with camps expanding on C Street by Walmart, as well as in greenbelts and parks.
The CEO of Premier Health, located near Moose’s Tooth rests issued a warning to patients coming to the midtown location.
“This information is for the safety of our patients and our staff. Last week, the Municipality of Anchorage abated a large unhoused persons camp. Unfortunately, many of the displaced individuals are now setting up camp across the street from our office. Multiple businesses in the area, including Moose’s Tooth, Rock Gym, Kinley’s, and Alaska Job Corp, are being impacted. We are doing everything possible to address this issue within legal boundaries and maintain a safe and secure environment.”
This process will take time, said Premier CEO Laurie Mapes, with obvious concern for both staff and patients.
“In the meantime, our building will remain locked 24 hours a day. For your appointments, you will need to call us upon your arrival (phone number on the entrance door). Our staff will then meet you at the entrance.We appreciate your patience and understanding during this trying time, if you have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.”
Camps have grown along state rights of way, including on 36th Ave. The Anchorage Assembly refused to allow former Mayor Dave Bronson to address the criminal element, which now Mayor LaFrance has inherited. Bronson attempted to set up a navigation center to get the drug addicts and down-and-outers some help, but the Assembly, led by LaFrance, threw roadblocks every step of the way.
Winter is coming. When the temperature drops below 45 degrees, the city will start providing hotel rooms and free meals to many of these vagrants, and the cycle will continue next summer.
If you have seen an encampment that poses a safety problem to residents, add your comments and the location of the in the comment section below.
2nd Ave and Barrow behind the old Travelodge.
Barrow from 3rd Ave north and around the corner to the CEA Sub-station
Let’s hope the state DOE is watching the homeless camps in ROW as they are candidate’s political signs, which they tear down if they touch the ROW!
Interesting, is it not, that as an assembly member, LaFrance bemoaned and blocked every effort Mayor Bronson made to address the homeless problem, but now has enforced the exact same action that the former Mayor had proposed?
The voters rewarded her for that behavior. They demonstrated that this is what they WANTED. The voters WANT petty squabbles between democrats and republicans to be elevated to wrecking the whole city. The voters WANT the city to be in shambles because this produces the appearance that it’s all due to the conservative mayor’s policies. Point fingers and BLAME. We won’t see an end to the dysfunction in the assembly until the VOTERS make it happen.
Once again, placing the wants of the freeloaders ahead of the needs of the taxpayers.
Screw the businesses, screw what the average Anchorage resident wants. The Assembly wants to look like they are kind and benevolent to the indigent. (Using your money, and at the cost of your quality of life, of course).
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I say send them to the neighborhoods of LaFrance and the Assembly members who continually screw over the taxpayers in favor of the bums.
Well said and the non smart Anchorage voter wanted this so let’s move the homeless to the liberals area and yards.
The Assembly’s decisions are catching up to them! Tenants now on Homer Drive (on ramp) at Seward Highway and Tudor and at the intersection of Old Seward Highway and drive into Walmart. LaFrance and Assembly are emboldening them!
Mayor what’s wrong? you said you could solve the homeless issue?
You are part of the problem. do your job and fix this mess that you are responsible for.
Let’s move them to the yards of assembly members and the Mayor, bet a solution would be found then
That is the only way to make leftists change their behavior.
Force them to suffer the consequences of their decisions.
Mayorette Mayor LaFrance and all the crack assembly members need to offer their yards and rooms in their homes for the vagrants that they helped create.
Come on guys and gals you got the cojones, now do the deed.
Have you seen the camp along the on ramp from Tudor to the Seward hwy, heading south? Is this city, or state property?
Also lots of people gathered at the south Anchorage Walmart, blocking the bike path.
Every U.S. city that has the left- wing, anti- America crowd in charge becomes a toilet. Decent, intelligent people and businesses then flee, leaving less brain power behind to deal with the mess.
Democrats are pro drug, pro crime, pro open borders, pro abortion, and they are destroying our country.
When are we going to take it back?
How are streets going to be cleared of snow? Plowing will push snow onto many of the camps. My guess is that snow removal in Anchorage will get even worse this year.
Yes and I demand the roads be plowed after every snow.
Haven’t you heard?
Mr. Falsey announced that snow-clearing equipment is soooo old and decrepit that it needs a total overhaul and not to expect timely snow clearing this winter. This of course will be presented as a Mayor Bronson’s fault, never mind that some equipment is from 1986!
Since it was way more important for the assembly to throw $161 million plus at homelessness, we certainly can’t expect that they and previous administrations of Berkowitz, Austin-Quinn Davidson had any notion to actually do something about that. In the end it will be a ADN ready excuse for LaFrance. I am not certain however that it will fly with even the most ardent LaFrance supporter, as even they have to get to their non-profit jobs to support the homeless.
As for those “campers”, all those will be snug as a bug in some hotel room courtesy of Muni taxpayers, with meals to boot!
Next step is for Ms. Mayor to announce the formation of a thirty-seven member task force to address the “root causes” of the homeless crisis. The task force will include representatives of “stakeholder” groups from across the municipality and be supported by a stable of “experts.”
Grow a pair, Anchorage, if you want your city back!
Is enforcing code violations and issuing fines at nuisance homeless camps the responsibility of the Muni’s Land Use Enforcement Section? If so, these Muni employees can’t do this job because they are too busy repeatedly inspecting my private property and trying to figure out how to fine me $300.00 per day.
In the last three months, code enforcement employees (traveling in separate vehicles) have conducted at least one secret *and* two announced inspections into my backyard where they hope to find too many honeybee hives. The certified letter, following the first secret inspection, reveals code enforcement’s interest in charging me $300.00 per day if code violation employees can manage to find too many bee hives in my backyard. Having failed already, I won’t be surprised if these guys show up for a fourth inspection in the next few weeks.
As long as the Muni’s Land Use Enforcement Section and code violation supervisors continue to believe there is the possibility of increasing Muni revenue by fining me, the inspectors will not have sufficient time to enforce the outrageous, harmful, and noxious code violations that are allowed to fester in nuisance homeless camps all over town.
I personally like honey bees and understand that they are necessary for a good environment. Stay safe and keep up the good work.
Beekeeper, put up ‘No trespassing’ signs. If the Muni shows up for a warrentless search, be ready to prosecute them. Catch everything on video too- so you can sue them.
This is what the Assembly, Chair Christopher Constant, and Mayor LaFrance want, or they would change it.
This is what we the voters of Anchorage want, or we would change the Assembly and Mayor.
That is nothing! Wait until you see how much damage she can really do. She’s only getting started wait to see your tax bills the next year or two. Anchorage people should have known better.
Leftists are really good at spending other people’s money on their pet projects so they can look good, look benevolent.
For 1/10th the cost, a permanent homeless encampment could be built on fire island with a 24/7 Brown Jug
This is how the left enrich themselves on tax payers. Mark Begich has purchased a hotel and is about to remodel it. He’s been sucking down as much cash from the city as possible. Some others on the assembly have jobs that require a good source of homeless people to keep income rolling in. What a corrupt group of criminals and I am not talking about the homeless.
Have you been to the Aviator hotel downtown? The rooms are absolutely gorgeous. All renovated on the taxpayer dime.
Yes the stealing of taxpayers dollars is still going on.
All politicians are in it to get rich off us serfs backs.
Bronson had one plan. One plan without cost estimates, without snow load calculations, without considering the ramifications of 1,000 people in one tent. The assembly asked for answers that Bronson couldn’t provide. The job of the mayor is to try to offer alternatives if his initial demand is not practical. Instead, he hung his hat on the initial proposal, claiming that this relieved him of all responsibility. That was just part of the reason he lost in a landslide.
And, you actually think the Assembly would OK the plan had those answers been provided? That’s cute. Incredibly naive, but cute.
Really??? Do you own property in the City? Do you work for the city? If yes to either question, you will then see the taxing response that is coming. Landslide, is the City still using the “voting machines” to determine the winners and losers? Just asking, just saying.
Mayor Bronson had a plan and it was a great plan!
What you fail to mention, Jessica, is that the assembly APPROVED that plan and budgeted $6million for it, only to rescind the funds at the last minute for some specious clerical error. For the record the navigation center structure was never “a tent”!
Do you know if we are still paying rent to store parts of the structure in Eagle River and elsewhere? I bet we still do!
The mayor is beholden to the assembly for approval of funds and the open and incessant hostility from that body, made it very clear that they would never tolerated any plan, in which Mayor Bronson had any part.
The other consideration for the assembly most likely was, that a navigation center would suck the life out of those hundreds of hotel room and non-profit deals, remove the criminal element and demand abatement of EVERY camp! Just saying…..
What rock were you hiding under Jessica? Bronson had all of what you say was missing. Enough so that the assembly initially green lighted the project, although hesitatingly due to the appearance that what Bronson was doing would have largely solved the problem they were hanging their hats on, thus the spectacular reversal. They then followed up with demonizing every effort Bronson had made, and was making to address this issue offering only ultra high cost and assembly focused solutions for him to work with which essentially created an unpenetrable roadblock. Now the only solutions offered, oddly enough, provide a financial advantage for one of their own. All that said, the problem has not gone away, instead, has gotten worse. This will be the pattern for the LeFrance administration. Snow will be another hot topic especially if we get another record breaking snowfall year. To echo the thoughts of others, Anchorage voters and non-voters, you have done this to yourselves. You are beginning to reap what you have sown. -Cheers
Mayor Bronson could have had a sure fire plan to end homelessness, that included as side benifits a cure for cancer and a pony for every child.. the Assembly would still not have supported it.
ROFL at LosAnchorage!
They relocated to the Moose’s Tooth!! That business has stroke, so they won’t be there long….
There should be a way to sue the city for miss use and sloppy accounting and spending of our tax dollars.
This from a Ktuu article.
When asked by Alaska’s News Source for comment, Amanda Moser — the head of External Affairs for the LaFrance administration — wrote in a prepared statement that they are keeping an eye on the latest location for the encampment.
“Fairbanks Street was abated because of the significant public safety concerns with the camp and the surrounding areas,” Moser said. “We will continue to prioritize public safety as we make decisions about abatement. This site is on our radar as we look to upcoming areas to abate. We are also working to get out of crisis mode and bring about solutions that mean more people are housed and fewer people are sleeping outside.”
Word salad at the very best, are these people related to Kamala Harris? Apparently this is the LaFrance solution to snow removal? Ooops, thats another plan we are sill waiting for. Back to this plane for the abatement, ooops again, still working on it. The Team will come to some resolution sometime between now and the next Mayoral race. Right, got it now.
Anchorage used to be a great town, rest in peace.
It certainly sounds impressive: That the Fairbanks Street mess is “on our radar.” I wonder what kind of radar is in use? Maybe the eyes? This shows a profound level of awareness and problem solving. Folks are making six figures for this quality of work? Ms Moser should be embarrassed.
I believe it’s the old mothballed neighborhood photo radar gear. Just a guess, I’ll check with my team and get back to you.