Has Mayor Ethan Berkowitz poked the bear that is the silent majority?
He may have. The grassroots in Anchorage has become activated as taxpayers are rallying to stop the spread of vagrancy and illegal drug activity in their neighborhooods.
This Tuesday’s Assembly meeting will be a continuation of the public input on an ambitious plan by Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to use tens of millions of dollar of federal CARES Act funds to purchase four buildings and greatly expand services and shelter to Anchorage’s vagrant population. The problem that people see is that more lawlessness will be headed toward their neighborhoods.
Ordinances were introduced last week that would use $22 million of the federal funds intended to address economic fallout from the super virus COVID-19 to instead acquire the Golden Lion Hotel, the Alaska Club on Tudor Blvd, America’s Best hotel in Spenard and the Bean’s Cafe property. During public testimony last week, dozens of Anchorage residents spoke against the plan to bring vagrants and drug abusers to their neighborhoods.
Last week, volunteers gathered in midtown and assembled mailers that went out to over 6,000 households over the weekend, encouraging people to attend Tuesday’s meeting at the Loussac Library building on 36th Avenue. That’s where the Anchorage Assembly has its meetings.
The mailer that went to thousands of Anchorage residents was paid for by pass-the-hat donations among activists. Meanwhile, a Facebook group called Save Anchorage has gained over 1,500 followers in just a few days and is growing by hundreds every day, the administrators said.
The Tuesday meeting begins at 6 pm. Mayor Berkowitz has limited the number of people who will be allowed into the Assembly Chambers due to COVID-19; those wishing to testify must arrive early to get inside.
Anyone wishing to give testimony by phone may email the Clerk’s office at [email protected] by 2 pm Tuesday, providing your name, phone number, agenda item or title for which they wish to provide testimony. The subject line of the email should be Phone Testimony. When the Assembly reaches that item on the agenda, the Clerk will call and connect you with the meeting so you may testify. The public is allowed 3 minutes per person to speak. If you want to speak on both ordinances, you will have six minutes.
The vote on the ordinances is expected to come on Thursday of this week, but it’s likely the Assembly will not be through the public testimony by then.
The mayor’s plan starts with AO 2020-58, an amendment to the municipal code that would allow homeless and transient shelters across a vast area of neighborhoods, and would bypass the Planning and Zoning Commission review process.
Items on the Tuesday agenda that pertain to the vagrant plan:
