The Municipality of Anchorage saw a total of eight protests, demonstrations, and rallies last week tied to the presidential summit, according to the Anchorage Police Department. Most gatherings, ranging in size from about 10 to 400 participants, remained peaceful.
Anchorage police deployed extra patrols throughout the city on Aug. 15 to provide public safety during the high-profile visit. Officers made one arrest, linked to vandalism at the entrance to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Police said James Garrett Hermansen, 31, was taken into custody after spray-painting an obscenity directed at President Donald Trump on a JBER gate sign near Government Hill, where a demonstration organized by radical activist Ivan Hodes was underway. Hermansen has been charged with third-degree criminal mischief and was being held at the Anchorage Correctional Center as of Tuesday morning.
“APD is detaining me for graffiti,” Hermansen wrote on his Facebook page on Friday. Former senior assistant attorney general for Alaska posted a photograph of the vandalism on her social media page, joking that Alaska had rolled out the “red carpet” for Trump.
According to police, officers assigned to monitor the gate witnessed Hermansen spray-painting the sign in red paint before taking him into custody.
“We had extra officers working to keep the public safe and to be close by if anyone needed us,” said APD Chief Sean Case. “Overall, we are grateful to everyone who peacefully exercised their right to free speech.”
