A grassroots group of Anchorage residents who have become alarmed at the mayor’s many restrictions and prohibitions will gather at the Loussac Library on Tuesday evening to protest.
The protest begins at 4:30 pm, before the Anchorage Assembly will arrive to discuss several major issues — all out of sight of the citizens, who are not permitted into the building, per the orders of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz.
“Take a stand. In 20 years, I will not tell my children that I watched their basic human rights being stripped away and I did nothing. I will tell them I stood up and showed up and gave it my all,” wrote organizer Elizabeth Welsh, who is the co-founder of Open Alaska, a group that started on Facebook and has 7,000 members.
Welsh says she doesn’t know how many will show up, but expects at least 500 based on the strength of the response she’s gotten.
Among items on the agenda for the Assembly is the $22.5 million in expenditures requested by the mayor for the purchase of four buildings to create a network of services for Anchorage vagrants and street people.
A resolution to curb the mayor’s emergency powers will be offered by Assembly member Jamie Allard.
Another resolution to allow people inside the Assembly chambers will be offered by Allard and Assembly member Crystal Kennedy.
The package to purchase and renovate the buildings for Anchorage street people has come under scrutiny, as a portion of the funds would come from CARES Act monies intended to be used to alleviate economic hardships due to the COVID-19 virus. The municipality is still sitting on 85 percent of the $156 million it was given by the federal government.
