UNHAPPY WOMEN PROTESTING: On Jan. 21 in Alaska, you might see some protests by women against President-elect Donald Trump.
The upcoming protests, to take place one day after Trump takes the oath of office, are the handiwork of Democratic Party activists. They’re planned for various morning hours in Juneau (a march from the Capitol to the arts center), Homer (arts center), Anchorage (TBD), Palmer (Turkey Red Restaurant) and Fairbanks (Golden Heart Plaza).
They’ll also be raising a ruckus in Bethel, although since the event coincides with the Kuskokwim 300 race, the barking of sled dogs might drown out the chanting of the indignant.
It’s all part of a national day of emoting by women who voted for Hillary Clinton and who don’t like the way half the nation voted, and especially the way that the other 42 percent of American women voted. They’ll be marching in San Francisco, in Washington, D.C. and in Key West, Florida.
At least one supportive national fashion blogger is advising women on what to wear to the Jan. 21 protest march, (presuming you are not in the Florida Keys) and that includes the correct vegan insoles in your shoes and chic Ray Bans for your eyes — and do leave your Swiss Army knife at home, she advises. Seriously.
In a message to the Capital City Republican Women, the Juneau march organizers from the publicly funded AWARE shelter, wrote this:
Hello Capital City Republican Women. This is Saralyn from AWARE. I hope this finds you well. We are hosting the Womens March in Juneau on January 21, and wonder if you might like to participate in some way. It is a non-partisan march with a focus on women’s rights, health, and safety. We’ll be marching from the Capitol to the JAHC, and we are also inviting groups to have tables with information/ action ideas. If you would like to be involved, or have a table, please let me know, or let AWARE’s volunteer coordinator know. We can be reached by phone at 586-6623 or by email at [email protected] and [email protected]. All the best.
Pro-tip: Avoid these protest areas in morning on Jan. 21, especially if you haven’t “checked your privilege.” And please don’t use the word “sourpuss” in the vicinity; it simply will not be the politic phrase of the day.
BREAK-IN CITY: Juneau is going through a bad patch. Homes are being broken into at what appears to be a record pace. While Mayor Ken Koelsch is solidly law enforcement, Juneau has a weak mayor form of government, so he’s going to have his hands full with this one.
Drugs appear to be the driving force behind the epidemic of break-ins, some of which are happening in broad daylight.
Juneauites, who 20 years ago didn’t even lock their homes, are now locking them even if they leave to walk the dog.
They’re also sharing tips with each other about the best security systems to install, comparing cost and connectivity to the local police department. This is new behavior for Juneau residents, and they’re not happy about having to adopt it.
Meanwhile, the Juneau Police Department has launched 2017 as the Year of Kindness, with all kinds of hands-on activities to promote kindness throughout the community.
How about a Year of Law Enforcement?
MAT-SU CRIME SPREE: In the Mat-Su Valley, residents are fed up with the rash of property crimes fueled by — you guessed it — drug-starved addicts.
State Trooper Andy Gorn told the crowd that gathered on Jan. 4 for a town hall meeting that “at any given time there’s six troopers working out here.” That’s too few troopers for the 100,000 residents in the valley, he said. In actuality that is one trooper on duty for every 1,666 people, which seems adequate, if so many of them were not drug addicts.
As for the budget, the Alaska State Troopers have lost 32 trooper positions in two years, according to Alaska State Trooper Director Colonel James Cockrell. The FY 2018 proposed budget for Troopers is 8 percent lower than it was in three years ago. Full-time positions will drop from the 885 Troopers in 2015 to 813 in the proposed budget for 2018, for a loss of 72 positions.
The “lost positions” at the department of public safety comes largely from the VPSO program which has lost some federal matching funding so has been scaled back. This is not revealed in the “information” provided by the State so it is inferred that these are State Trooper positions. They are not. The Walker Administration are pros at this type of messaging.
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