Protesters will gather again in a nearly empty downtown Anchorage on Friday evening to demand defunding the police, to demand the control of police be turned over to neighborhood councils, and to voice objections to police brutality.
At 4:30 pm, the Party for Socialism and Liberation Anchorage and its supporters will meet at 544 West 5th Avenue to march against the Municipality, which the group says has thus far ignored its 13 demands, which are:
1. Police officers must undergo extensive mental health training while the Municipality of Anchorage transitions away from police intervention to a civilian based intervention.
2. Decriminalize low-level offenses such as minor possession of drugs and sex work.
3. End Camp Abatements and Decriminalize Homelessness.
4. Increase Penalties for Sexual Assault and Harrassment.
5. Disarm Police Officers.
6. Civilian Control.
7. Neighborhood Councils Directly Control Police in their Neighborhoods.
8. Police Records Must be Public.
9. Three Strike, You’re Out. (Unclear who this refers to)
10. Abolish the Police Union.
11. Empower the Expand the Anchorage Police Community Relations Task Force.
12. Defund the Police and Reallocate Resources toward Community Health and Wellness Programs.
13. Justice for Dae. (Dae refers to the late Lufilufilimalelei “Daelyn” Polu, who was pulled over by Anchorage police in February, and who pulled a gun on the officer, and was subsequently shot dead by the officer. The mother of “Dae” does not think her son would have done this, and has a petition demanding an apology of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and that the case be reopened.)
SATURDAY’S ANTI-POLICE EVENT
On Saturday in downtown Anchorage, a Queer Wrath event is scheduled to meet at the Delaney Park Strip at 2 pm.
This is an event being sponsored by the “queer members of PSL” to stand together in “solidarity with the uprising in the Lower 48 and in opposition to police brutality.”
Starting at West 9th Ave & L Street, the group will rally and hear from LGBTQ+ speakers about their experiences with the Anchorage Police Department.
“We encourage folx to take this opportunity to voice your story with us,” the group writes. “Protestors can choose to participate in either the car caravan or the marching rally. Some car decorating supplies will be available 1 hour before the event.”
