A group of property owners who call themselves the “3rd Avenue Radicals” say that crime has gotten to the breaking point in their area of Anchorage.
And by breaking point, they don’t only mean windows being broken, but graffiti, bike-theft rings, stolen vehicles, open illegal drug trades, public inebriation, and more.
The group said on Facebook that it’s sending out an SOS. They are unimpressed with the efforts of the mayor and Assembly alike and they want the community to rally to their cause.
“We are sending out an SOS! “The residents and business owners of East 3rd Avenue are currently being victimized on a daily basis by individuals who have moved in and taken over the former Native Hospital Site at 3rd and Ingra,” wrote the 3rd Avenue Radicals on their Facebook page.
“We have criminals living and hiding amongst our most vulnerable, finding protections from their crimes by the MOA’s fear of Martin VS. Boise,” they wrote, referring to the Supreme Court upholding a Boise, Idaho lawsuit by six homeless plaintiffs against the city’s anti-camping ordinance.
“In the past 24 hours business/property owners have had their truck broken into and wallet stolen, windows shot out with a BB gun, and buildings tagged by the criminals operating a bike chop shop on the site (which was reported directly to the Mayor over a month ago, no action). A local towing company dumped a burned out junk car on the site which had since been removed, only after a resident involved APD. (All this in just in the last 24 hours),” the group wrote.
In one instance, a business owner was unloading a delivery van and it was stolen from him in the middle of the delivery. Another business owner found a man hiding in the back room of his warehouse, having gained entry somehow.
“We have collectively witnessed all sorts of illegal activities, non-stop drug dealing, even fist fights in the street,” the group said. There’s no security, no law enforcement, and only one dumpster and two portable toilets, which is inadequate for the 150 homeless people now occupying the site. That particular area has been a favorite for homeless people in Anchorage over the years.
The 3rd Avenue Radicals, who are clean-cut property owners and taxpayers, say that the Bronson Administration and the Anchorage Assembly have allowed the massive unsanctioned camp to form, turning a blind eye to the damage being done.
“When you express your concerns to the Mayor, Assembly, Code Enforcement, APD, we get a lot of excuses why nothing can be done. The Chief of Police even gave residents a lecture at a recent meeting at city hall about how we should be performing citizen’s arrests! WE should be arresting the criminals!” the group wrote. “The people and businesses of East 3rd Avenue are currently being sacrificed. The reputations of our businesses tarnished severely, and no one is doing anything about it.”
While the Assembly has blocked every attempt by the mayor to create solutions for the chronically homeless, it has also stalled its own solutions.
The Third Avenue Radicals formed in 2020, during the last severe situation in their area, when they were trying to get former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to take their concerns seriously.
