Descent into depravity, as summer of love, lawlessness comes to Anchorage

By
Suzanne Downing
-
98

Between rampant street drug addiction and a laissez faire attitude toward policing by the Ethan Berkowitz Administration, Anchorage’s urban center may have hit a new low during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So says at least one person — the man who snapped the photo above during his morning commute through midtown Anchorage, when he witnessed two people with their pants down around their knees, copulating along the side of Benson Blvd. They were oblivious to the hundreds of people in cars driving by.

“This is your legacy, Mr. Mayor,” wrote the man who snapped the picture and sent it to Mayor Berkowitz.

” It is clear that your administration is completely ignoring this problem.  The blight that has descended on our city since you have taken office is unbelievable!”

The roadside attraction was taking place not far from where tents are now lined up along the sidewalk and inebriates commonly block the pedestrian rights of way.

“The retailers in this city are being robbed wholesale by these ‘urban campers, and you do nothing.  The rest of us are paying the price for your lack of effort. 2021 can’t come fast enough, so we can hopefully elect someone who actually cares for our city,” the photographer wrote.

Midtown has become an epicenter of lawlessness since the city cleared out the tent city at 3rd Avenue and Ingra Street, after the public staged visible protests. The mayor has created two homeless shelters in the Sullivan and Boeke Arenas in midtown, but many of the lawless street people are not willing to stay in them, due to the rules.

Citizen Judy Eledge said she is furious that Berkowitz is spending his time enforcing mask mandates, but won’t deal with the crime in Anchorage,

“As soon as you put a mask on every vagrant on the street and get this crap off our streets I might pay attention,” she said.

Or at least a condom.

98 COMMENTS

  1. Berkowitz is just following the destruction blueprint of where he was sent from to tear down our state. When the dust settles, we will see he is in all probability one of the four California families of destruction … He is right on course swinging his sickle of depravity and gloating in the feces and ruin of our beloved State.

      • We can blame the twerp for his liberal ideology regarding law and law enforcement. He’s a classic political ticket puncher, not a civic leader. True, he is supported by a growing number of neutered liberals, but he is their elected leader.
        I never saw the scum copulating in public in Anchorage before a few years ago, and I’ve lived in the region for nearly 50 years. Now this kind of garbage, from San Diego to here, is regular fare.
        But don’t think that there will not be a push back. The political class is losing its grip, and the price for this will be paid……..by everybody.

        • Hi, I am a full blood Alaska native that grew up in California. Last year, I traveled between both states and threw in a third, Oregon. Every place I encountered had a high level of alcohol abuse, homelessness and meth. My heart was broken when I looked for housing in Fairbanks & found I didnt qualify due to not having children or being married. I am a full blood that cannot go back to her homeland. My sister tried to get into rehab and the system takes 2 years to get in. Most addicts die before that. Alaska has a long history of native genocide but its still happening there and everywhere, to good people of all nationalities. California was once beautiful but now it is decrepit unless you have money to fly out of city limits. Again, the behavioral system is broken in all those places. SF has bars , liquor stores, drug dealers everywhere but no rehab system. Same in Alaska, same in Oregon.

          • You say Alaska has a long history of Native genocide and I assume you meant to say Native slavery. Regardless, neither are “still happening” and it’s not called genocide when you do it to yourself. To categorize it as such implies that you think Natives need not be responsible for their own addictions.
            –
            It doesn’t work that way.
            –
            Bootstraps are key.

      • Lol you are clueless if you think that is the case. Either that or you are a liberal/democrat who is fine with the lawlessness that has overtaken Anchorage since Berkowitz became Mayor. Berkowitz has turned the city of Anchorage into a cesspool of vagrants, alcohol and drug users, and criminals. He has decided that they are the populace that he wishes to cater to while expecting the decent citizens of the city to suck it up and take it. Time for the people of Anchorage to fight back by ridding themselves of the liberal politicians in both the assembly and the Mayor’s office. Either that or get ready to be another pit of a city like Detroit, San Francisco, etc.

  2. Don’t know if this is going to be the new norm or if it has been happening and I haven’t seen it. But after they moved the homeless out of the area by the Boniface on ramp going towards downtown, they ground up the wooded area. More costs. This mayor can’t be gone fast enough. And sure as heck before the sale of the power plant finishes. Fire the homeless coordinator, and get the government out of the homeless business, Let the non profits deal with them. If they break the law, arrest them, jail them, offer them help, then send them packing. Other than that stop the coddling.

    • It’s been happening all along in places working people don’t usually go. This is NOT new! Homeless addicts are rampant in Anchorage and have been for years! People have turned a blind eye and deaf ear until it moved from the wooded copses to the sidewalks of Mountain View, Jewel Lake, Muldoon, and, finally, Midtown.

        • Yes, it most certainly WAS on the streets 8 years ago. People were passed out on sidewalk in front of my business in the 90’s, 25 plus years ago! I only remember because our choices were: call city drunk removal, or see if one of our employees could get them to move on if we asked nicely….second option was easier, unless they were completely passed out.
          However, I do notice more people with signs on street corners asking for money. I think it is all over this country, though, not just Alaska. Not sure that the mayor is the cause of it- it seems we have ever increasing numbers of destitute people on the streets EVERYWHERE!
          Our country is starting to look like something out of Charles Dickens, London, in the 1800’s!

    • I haven’t actually read anything about this, but did hear a clip about possibly using the CARES funding to take care of the homeless. I thought the CARES program money was to take care of the people that had jobs that aren’t working now because of the virus. The “regular” homeless people have not been financially impacted by the virus. I guess I need to do some research.

  4. This was so disturbing that several people who witnessed it called APD. I parked nearby to see if the cops would show up. About two minutes later about six patrol officers responded. They blocked traffic so women and children would not be exposed to this depravity. The couple weren’t paying any attention to the sirens but several strong blasts of pepper spray in her face brought a halt to the foreplay. So when the cops get the guy on his feet he starts yelling. “The mayor wants to control how I live, but I am Indigenous and will not be a sheep. I will not wear a mask or a pink shirt because some liberal from Frisco tells me to. I have a constitutional right to liberty, which includes the right to drink and party with my woman.” On and on he goes about all his rights. After about 15 minutes I ask one of the cops what’s going on and he says, “The mask protests really educated these homeless people that the government can’t tell them what to do. In the wrong hands these so-called constitutional rights can lead to chaos.” The streets are crowded with Born losers and it’s time for Billy Jack to make Anchorage as safe as Wasilla.

        • Agree. And have neutered and spayed so do not procreate. The system is full of children born out of such degradation and addiction.

    • Hmm… if Eric’s quote is accurate, it sounds like our public fornicator is some kind of a right wing nut job! (“I will not be a sheep…I will not wear a mask…because some liberal tells me to”… “the Mayor wants to control how I live”.
      Sounds more like he fits in with the protesters who want to open up everything and “damn the torpedoes!” Definitely not a Berkowitz kind of voter.

    • Did he? I shouldn’t be surprised but still are you serious? The Soros tentacles stretch far and deep.

  9. Wellllll, Eric S., I’m not sure how much I believe the quote from the officer but I am aware that the lawlessness and lack of personal responsibility and decency is ascending. I shake my head at these stories but am in a position to know that they’re real. Is it culturally acceptable to be having sex on the side of the road? Of course not. Is it culturally acceptable to be drinking and doping out in the open. Of course not. Not for the Alaska Native culture or any other. This is not a cultural thing. It is a degradation of society. How many of these folks can’t go back to their villages because they first wore out their welcome back home? Mental health issues and substance abuse are rampant. That’s not news but the obvious. Who is responsible for cleaning up the problem? It will NEVER get cleaned up until a real stance is taken and the social system says that this is not sustainable. The tribal system can treat the fall out all they want, but until the city and state populations really get behind cleaning it up, it will not go away. I shake my head and look the other way but can feel my ire rise when I am assaulted with this crap. If I was sleeping under a tree or having sex on the side of the road, my middle class behind would be picked up and charged (I hope.)

  10. I do not like to be critical, and yes there are people who just really do not care what others think. The mayor made it mandatory for everyone to wear a mask indoors where others congregate. Well, the masks are not the problem. It is things like the picture showed that is the problem.

  11. Disgusting. Maybe if it happened in front of his house would see how this city has completely gone down the toilet. He only comes out of his hidey home when there is a crisis that he seems to be ill equipped to handle.

    • I have similar sentiments about the people that head these special groups that are to be helping solve the issues and the civil liberties union in that they don’t want to get their hands dirty. I think the people of ACLU need to take in some of these folks in their homes. I would like to see the leaders go to the shelters and visit regularly and hang out at the street corners with these people.

  12. Maybe the city could tax this activity like they did alcohol sales then use it to purchase more masks.

  15. That’s a great idea. Providing basic services for an individual’s survival isn’t anyone’s responsibility except the individual. Government’s job is see anyone who wants a paid job can find one. As well as that, we are all law-abiding, keeping one another safe from each other.

  16. Come on folks, relax. This is the equivalent of a conjugal visit for indigents. We should be happy for them. Peace,….not war baby. Get a load of the guy sleeping next to them. Not even a look see. Thanks, Berkowitz, for keeping Anchoragites entertained this summer.

        • I have similar sentiments about the people that head these special groups that are to be helping solve the issues and the civil liberties union in that they don’t want to get their hands dirty. I think the people of CLU need to take in some of these folks in their homes. I would like to see the leaders go to the shelters and visit regularly and hang out at the street corners with these people.

          I do believe that the homeless community needs to be separated by degree of ability to maintain an acceptable lifestyle.

          I also have read some of the work being done by the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness and it’s always the same jargon. I don’t know that they are really doing anything other than discussions and entering data. I have to admit that I only went to one meeting. You know, the meetings are public. If we ever get out of this mess, you should go to a couple.

          I don’t think the yearly all inclusive services event does anything to help the homeless other than maybe high functioning people. They had a nice sit down banquet style luncheon so the folks could experience a “nice” dining experience, as if it made them want to turn their lives around so they could dine out like decent people do! I also think some of these efforts of volunteers to help are for the purpose of making them”feel good.” See me! I’m helping the homeless! How many prior homeless people that were drunks and have gotten sober are on these panels advising how to help?

          I just think the powers that be are going all about helping this community the wrong way. I have to admit, I don’t know how to fix it either, but maybe if some “regular” people that included some experts got together and did some brainstorming, we could come up with a plan. I think many of us, including me sit around and complain and moan and say it’s not their problem to solve, but that is “me” thinking rather than “we,” or community thinking. Blah, blah, blah! I think I’m done!

          • Really not much different than Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who worked hard to pass congressional legislation for greater use of windmill farms for energy production……..that is until he learned that windmills were being built near his house. He went ballistic and filed an injunctive suit to halt it. Hypocrites!

  17. Gotta Love this story. A story of Love, Freedom and a Woke individual sticking it to the Man!, or in this case a woman? The cop’s reported comments about the anti-mask protests being the impetus for this constitutional expression of freedom were, if true a bit disturbing however!

    • “A story of Love, Freedom and a Woke individual sticking it to the Man!”

      Surely you jest!
      The real story is cultural dissolution caused by the effects of drug/alcohol/etc, not a principled stand for individual rights by socially astute liberals.

      • Billy, Billy, Billy…, given the position of the “Woke” freedom activist and his reported response to the Police order to cease and desist his activity I can only assume he was in fact “sticking it to the Man”! In truth I am somewhat jocular in my observation, but the fact remains that this individual now feels embolden to express himself freely. The Police , if the report is truthful, merely created a screen so as not to offend passing onlookers. No hand cuffing or paddy wagon. The man in question will doubtless be looked upon as a rock star within his peer group. Look for, (or shield your eyes) for many more such expressions of Freedom in the next couple of months. Selective enforcement of law yields some strange results!

      • Billy, one last thought, the ingesting of Drugs and or Alcohol in this case isn’t the root cause of the problem. Mental Illness is the problem, the Drugs and or Alcohol are merely a symptom of the “patient” self medicating in an effort to escape the pain of their illness. This State set aside vast land tracts to fund care for people with mental illness. Perhaps we should begin asking why the Mayor and our State Representatives are not applying this wealth to actually help these folks?

        • I don’t understand how putting aside vast land tracks helps us afford to help these people. Will you explain it to me?

  18. Our Mayor is a Joke! First it was he’s going to get the homelessness off the streets put them in homes etc! Then the Virus hit! Masks and mandatory stay at home order. Then businesses were in an uproar about the druggies, alcoholics camping out on the property’s urinating, pooping on sidewalks. Then Ben Boeke opened and Sullivan Arena. That didn’t work. I’ve personally seen this bunch on corner of Northern lights and C St pooping, peeing. It’s so disgusting I wanted to puke!
    What has happened to this City? Do you not care Mayor Berkowitz? Do these people need to come to your home and have sex, poop, pee on your yard to get your attention? Pull your Big Boy Pants on and start acting like a Mayor that cares! I don’t feel you have a clue how to do your job! Enough is enough! A Chimp could do a better job!

    • Mayor Berkowitz went to Harvard. He knows so much more than us little people. He has a special progressive vision for Anchorage. I think we are seeing what he has in mind. Mr. Dunbar will simply expand on this work.

  19. Yep and his mandate when he closed the city my wife Died of cancer because she was not allowed to travel to Anch for her chemo he basically killed my wife

    • I feel like you didn’t read the mandate then. Travel has always been allowed for essential reasons, in all 50 states, including medical reasons and obtaining groceries. I truly hope your post isn’t true because otherwise her death was preventable insofar as chemo was effective.

    • I’m so sorry to hear this. I thought that nonessential travel was banned. I know that some treatments that they considered elective were actually life saving treatments weren’t done. I thought this was a travesty. How is it that cancer surgery or gallbladder surgery is not considered necessary to save people’s lives? I don’t get it.

  20. It’s turning out very close to how I predicted it would go in the city and state. This photo sums up how much of Anchorage looks to me now. I was there last weekend and was appalled at the shameless display of decline.

    The electorate asked for this combination and the fallout of unsustainable spending from D.C. to Juneau is taking its toll. Expect more of this, Anchorage has not yet hit the bottom. It will take decades to recover.

    Much like the cesspool in D.C., the blame lies squarely on the career politicians who have cleverly duped the public, political parties and one-issue voters into believing that they are the solution to the problems they created. Ask stupid questions, get stupid answers. Elect narcissists, reap the rewards of debt, lies, misdirection and deceit.

    I wish I could have helped, but after decades of beating my head against a wall – it’s clear that Alaska has to hit rock bottom before it wakes up. By then, it may be too late to salvage what momentum existed from the previous 30 years. Sincerely, I wish you all the best.

    P.S. I’ve predicted at least 4-5 years ago that Dunbar will never go away. He’s the bane of all political aspirations. A veneer of public service with a core of career political ambitions. He will be representing Alaska in D.C. before long, so you better get your dirt on him and political chits in now — while you can.

  21. Will Berkowitz turn on his brain switch at all? Obviously not. Blinded by the mask covering his eyes. Can’t wait till election. Get this guy out of here.

    These people don’t need shelters built for them… They need to be put to work! They forgot they have hands and feet and brains! They need to use them and not be spoon fed.

  22. This is a story the mayor can use to justify getting the “homeless: off the streets into hotel rooms. The mayor expects good behavior from the people that have good behavior but ignores those that don’t. Cost to society is inversely proportional to the social worth.

  23. If this were to happen in the Turnagain neighborhood it would be cleaned up immediately wouldn’t it?? Our city needs to take hard action on this homeless situation, they are ruining Anchorage. I get so disgusting everyday seeing this, saw a guy rob Brown Jug on the Old Seward Hwy last week & the staff couldn’t do anything. I’m for hard punishment like other countries around the world & yes a New mayor who cares.

  24. All you conservatives that didn’t vote are seeing the consequences, in living color. Hope for more conservative turnout in November.

  25. That’s not the problem. It’s the threshold required to win the election. It is no longer 50% plus 1 vote to avoid a run-off, it is now 45% plus 1. Thank Mark Begich when he was in the assembly for initiating this change under the guise of “saving” the Municipality money by reducing the need for run-offs. It was the only way he could get elected to the position himself. In 2003 he “defeated” Mystrom and Wuerch by 45% plus 11 votes. He would have soundly lost in a run-off under the old rules.
    Fast forward to today, Berkowitz took advantage of the same change in the law by being the only “other” voice in a sea of competing more conservative candidates. This will continue to occur if multiple conservatives run against one “other.”

    • The problem is Anchorage’s easily corruptible mail-in ballot system which the Assembly forced on voters.
      .
      Why do that? To assure no bond, tax, or incumbent gets left behind, and it seems to work well.
      .
      It works well because nothing protects the process from ballot harvesting; nothing prevents ballots from being easily changed by anyone; city employees in their roles as amateur handwriting experts can decide whether votes will be counted or discarded; and the whole thing apparently depends on machinery which runs on proprietary software.
      .
      Anchorage voters seem stuck with this scenario unless they figure out how to secede like the Eaglexit folks are doing.

  26. If there’s one thing that becomes clear in this process it’s that everyone should continue to support Planned Parenthood’s abortion program. The last thing tomorrow needs is the progeny of completely baked mental patients.

  27. When I was growing up this is what stray dogs would be seen doing. Of course a taxpayer could always call the dog catcher and the offending hounds would be taken away.

  28. What ever happened to vagrancy laws? In the good ol’ days, we didn’t have “homeless” because the laws were enforced the streets were clean and safe.

  29. I think we all now have a better idea about what “fundamentally transform” means in practice.

  30. There IS a solution.

    Problem is I don’t know how to start an earthquake.

    An earthquake big enough to remove the stain that San Francisco North had inflicted on Alaska.

  31. Never been to Alaska so I guess I’m in no position to judge, but WTF is happening to you guys. It’s bad everywhere I guess. Homeless people don’t have the right to destroy your cities.
    Always heard what a great place to visit it is. Maybe in the bush. All I can say iS WOW sorry for your loss.

  32. I’m certain such a fine young looter would never identify his paramour but that sure looks like one dude rogering another.

    Could this be the natural blending of Mr. Berkowitz’s California heritage and our proud indigenous folks on a besotted summer holiday in the big city? Anchorage is such an attractive place to go summer camping after fish camp. It’s like Woodstock without the music. Love is in the air. It’s on the curb, too.

  33. Are these folks going to be performing when the mayor shuts downtown to traffic so restaurants can put tables in our streets? You know tables the magical 6 feet apart in the blowing wind. Like on the beaches where they are complaining that free citizens are going in Fl and TX.

  34. The guy is just doing to her what mini mayor and asinine Assembly are doing to the taxpayers of Anchorage……….

  35. I’m so sorry to hear this. I thought that nonessential travel was banned. I know that some treatments that they considered elective were actually life saving treatments weren’t done. I thought this was a travesty. How is it that cancer surgery or gallbladder surgery is not considered necessary to save people’s lives? I don’t get it.

  37. I am so sorry for the loss of his wife.
    I would imagine there must have been a miscommunication or more facts to the issue because there were others in the valley that attended necessary and life sustaining medical appointments. In fact, all over the lower 48 as well.

  38. I just watched the YouTube video “Seattle is Dying.” I highly encourage everyone to view it as the problems in Seattle and other cities is out of control. Everyone says it is a homeless problem without identifying the root causes. Addiction and lack of law enforcement. Seattle is Dying shows how they ended up that way, what they have tried, how law enforcement is unable to do their jobs due to directives from city council and Mayors. They also show a successful program in Rhode Island that works to clean up the homeless problem, help addicts get off the drugs and gives them hope. They have a 93% success rate and the people in the program get job training and help all along the way. Where s Seattle spends about 1 billion each year that does nothing, it is just getting worse.

    If you are fed up with this, just go to Youtube and search Seattle is Dying. We can use what works from other places to nip this in the bud before it gets way out of hand.

    Video is well done and it is 1 hr long, please watch it.

  39. Thank You for the positive comment and idea. I will look up “Seattle is Dying” on YouTube right away. Thank you for the gentle reminder that I need to move toward solutions and not remain stuck in the problem…which is where I was.

  40. Watch You Tube “the Last Stop On Karluk Street” I watched 3 sexual assaults in 4 days near my property adjacent to and on the BFS and Beans campus. Anyone who see this behavior once and is appalled have no idea what is enabled and allow at the homeless shelter campus and its overflow area.
    It is not over as the new locations will divide the muni even more, cause more problems and setback the solutions for years. The problems will grow, rather than be controlled or solved. The elected officials making these decisions will not be effected in fact with there pandering will get elected to even a higher more powerful office. The system is broke and the repair tools and supplies being stolen, wasted,misused,abused and the results are what you see in the picture! Preet sure that type of social contact is not the best!

    • Am I right in believing that our political leaders are more interested in keeping their jobs because it is their source of income or because they are committed to being real stand up leaders even at the cost of losing their jobs? I don’t know what they get paid. Maybe some people should run for office that are “normal” or “regular” citizens of this city. I think that people that run for political office are more into being in power than actually wanting to do a job. It might be nice to participate in a “bring a constituent” to work day, but for at least a week.

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