The Anchorage Assembly passed another restrictive law on Tuesday night, this one requiring all bars and restaurants to check the identifications of people ordering alcohol. Already by state law liquor store clerks in Alaska are required to check for the telltale “red stripe” on drivers’ licenses that indicate there’s a court order that prohibits the buyer from purchasing alcohol. Usually that person is on parole or has “conditions of release” that require them to not buy or consume alcohol.
The Assembly voted unanimously to expand that law beyond liquor stores to other establishments. It takes effect March 1.
According to AS 04.16.160, a person who is restricted from purchasing alcohol may not knowingly enter or remain in a licensed premises to obtain or consume alcohol, per AS 04.16.047. The Anchorage law now puts the burden on the server to check the drivers’ licenses of those ordering booze to screen out the 2,100 out of 730,000 (.28%) Alaskans who are not allowed to purchase a drink.
How is that the servers or establishments responsibility to police the public? They already check ID! The assembly is out of control about control. Have been for years. You cannot pass laws to change peoples behavior. Before you know it you will have laws that don’t allow us to leave our homes. Oh wait! That is already coming…..just watch and wait as they slowly implement these changes. We must not comply!
Bartenders already have a legal responsibility to turn people away who don’t have the common sense to stop drinking and people with a red stripe have shown the tendency that they have no self control. Like I said, it’s no different than telling someone they’re too young to drink. Or is that the cop’s job too?
I kind of agree how dare the government make laws about changing someone’s behavior ….. I bet you don’t feel that way about laws against abortion do you?
You asking me? I’m against abortion.
Irony.
Law enforcement, under threat of punishment, requiring restaurant servers to enforce their laws.
Ridiculous obsession some politicians have with alcohol.
Pot shops on every corner – that’s ok.
Public intoxication, open air drug use, loitering, trespassing, shoplifting, public sex, panhandling – all against the law – but not enforced by the police because of this commie city council desire to let the homeless do whatever they please without consequences..
But, law enforcement is poised to pull over and ticket – otherwise law abiding citizens – traveling to and from work on the Glenn Highway – like vultures preying on the weak.
Anyone starting to understand what just happened in the Presidential election – WE ARE SICK OF THE NANNY STATE B.S.!
Nanny State is here.
That’s what you get when you elect a bunch of Karen’s to positions of power.
I think this is a great idea. It’s not too much different than a mandatory age check to see if someone is legal. Everyone is, ID checked even if you’re old and gray, and on a walker, it’s just the law.
Funny Forkner….you should be doing standup comedy!
Not at bars we’re not. Haven’t had to show ID at a bar, distillery, or restaurant since I was in my early twenties in any town in any state that I have resided in or visited. Only liquor stores.
In Florida, you show in restaurants too.
Another freedom taken away.
Oh, wow. Giving the all-powerful state more power is a good idea in your mind.
Who would have thought that?
Could save lives. Obviously people can’t help themselves.
No limit on government intrusion into private lives is enough when “it could save lives” is the justification.
Adoration at the altar of the all-powerful state. No surprised.
Do you wear seat belts? Run red lights, speed? Do you pay renewal fees on your car? Alcohol is regulated by the state. If you want to make money from it, you wear their brand. Did you leave New York to hide from someone or something in Alaska?
It’s only mandatory to check everyone’s ID in the Anchorage Borough, not all of Alaska.
The Anchorage Borough law has no force and affect outside of Anchorage. So people with a Red Stripe on their ID/license can go outside of the Anchorage Borough and drink in a restaurant or bar.
Just don’t drink and drive.
Anchorage is a “no buy zone” for our family, we buy in the valley or on-line. We refuse to help the assembly with their taxes. If the people of Anchorage want a socialist government, fine, it’s a free country, but we out side of Anchorage don’t have to support it!
With their new tariffs on everything coming through the port, Anchorage is in effect imposing a 7-1/2% sales tax on every part of the state north of Haines. Given the amount of federal and state funding sucked up by their ill-managed port, I’m hopeful that the governor, legislators, and congressional delegation will offer to stop funding all port maintenance and improvements unless these new tariffs are removed.
Anchorage gets 7% of every dollar you spend in the state thanks to their new tariff for all imports at the port
so you don’t want to help the homeless or the addicted get help or treatment…huh..who’d a thunk
They need to WANT help. Most of them do not…….
People with a stripe use their passport as their ID. Servers are required to accept the passport as a valid ID.
Is the outrage that servers are actually supposed to check IDs? Or that the State restricts the ability of some individuals to buy alcohol? We have a substantial problem with homeless alcoholics (and drug addicts) and anything that can be done to limit their behavior should be welcomed. If you are so outraged by requiring servers to check IDs, do you just want to eliminate CHARR?
Tax regulate and fine businesses that dont comply like they did with the mask cops (friends) hired during covid for 60K/yr.
That will definitely have an impact on people’s decision on where to do business.
Dont hear many complaints from the homeless sector…except for Greg’s approval.
I’m not surprised. Not morals and no common sense.
There are some easy workarounds with this;
Police officers get paid to enforce the law. If you are not a police officer, do not enforce laws. Pretty simple right?
Everyone stop drinking booze. It is poison anyways and not good for your health.
Befriend your local drug dealer. (no, not a doctor).
As usual, your style of bombastic reporting plays loose and fast with facts and throws out numbers that don’t match the actual situation at hand.
2100 known individuals to the state of Alaska that are not allowed to consume alcohol out of 730,000 including men women children, people who don’t live in Anchorage. Let’s break it down a little bit closer to reality.
320,000 people in Anchorage, of half are under the age of 21. so that’s 160,000 people eligible to drink alcohol of which let’s just say half of them are the ones that are actually drinking because we know the other half are t-totaled, or it goes against their religion, or goes against her dietary.
Now of the 80,000 people that might consume alcohol on an occasion let’s just say that half of them are total alcoholics… so it’s 40,000 people that are complete head over ass alcoholics.
Add at 40,000. Let’s just say that 5000 of them get in trouble with the law of that 5000 just under half or around 45% are restricted by court order from alcohol consumption.
those are your true actual numbers and you know what you can’t argue because my numbers are just as accurate and factual as the numbers you used.
The state already requires the ID check at any establishment serving alcohol.
Buried it in your article that the ordinance prohibits the individual with a red stripe ID from entering an establishment that serves alcohol the requirement to check the ID has always existed.
I long for the day when your type of trash journalism disappears.
You don’t have to read it 😂
Nobody is forcing you to click.
Numbers in the article are objective data. They may not be reflective of the number of miscreants that buy booze but they’re not stated to be.
Conversely, your numbers are subjective and pulled directly out of your bobo. If you’d like to argue about anything in particular you should not base your argument on guesswork or you risk sounding like a boring tw*t.
Maybe not hang out in Los Anchorage.
Passing a Blue Law in Anchorage puts its citizen on the same low level as Seattle.
It is discriminatory. Nonresidents don’t have a red stripe and can have a legal alcohol issue and buy/drink alcohol. Break out your passports folks (even if you don’t have a redstripe)-a valid ID form in protest.
Rabble rabble rabble rabble
But you don’t need one to vote
Does this apply to flight attendants taking drink orders in first class while they are on the ground in Anchorage? Does it apply to private clubs like Elks, VFW?
This is insulting. Another power fart jumping on the slippery slope to total control wannabes. Maybe you will require traffic stops on all drivers to check their drivers license status. Now that would be an infringement yes? It would also be illegal. Might be time to get out of Dodge.
This is a fabulous idea! Why, since the red stripe and check-your-ID law was enacted, drunk driving, alcoholism and underage drinking have plummeted to near zero. NOT. Just more invasive shenanigans from the same Assembly that gave us plastic bag laws. What a bunch of effing losers.
Funny how Anchorage still thinks they are living in the wild wild west. That didn’t work out so well the first time did it?
Maybe check those crossing the street for red stripes while your at it.
All these people here talking about how the liberals are creating a nanny state….its a deep red state run by a GOP super majority. You get what you vote for. You vote against taxes so much, your schools are closing. You vote against medicaid and access to health care and treatment, so your parks are clogged with homeless addicts.
You get what you asked for. Your social problems are your cake….now eat it.