Assembly Member Keith McCormick offered a compelling commentary in today’s ADN, “Chaos isn’t compassion. It’s time to restore order in Anchorage.” It talks about his proposed ordinance AO 202574 that “…prohibits camping on public property and makes such conduct a Class B misdemeanor…”

In my experience, House District 9 residents are compassionate and patient but want our communities to be safe, clean, and available for families to enjoy. They also want fairness – we all invest in our communities and follow community rules and expectations on our own property and expect others to treat our public property with the same care.

When canvassing, the issue of living/camping in the streets and parks would come up. And when people would offer that they expected it was primarily a municipal issue, I’d suggest that I felt it was a state issue also, because so many people are coming or trapped in Anchorage from other areas, and Anchorage and our local taxpayers were stuck with the costs. State support for benefits, healthcare, and community assistance has been cut. At the same time, the lack of employment benefits has left our police vacancies too high, and our corrections recidivism is almost the highest in the nation. 

More generally, I view it as a failure of our economy and state investments in affordable communities that so many find needing public assistance and living on the streets in our city a necessary choice. I offered a four-point approach that the proposed ordinance aligns with, including:

1. Recognize that we have an economic problem and that our stagnant economy is failing to provide healthy communities, living-wage jobs, and affordable housing. Too many Alaskans must rely on various public assistance programs to survive living here.
2. Assist those experiencing an initial challenge and at risk or who become initially homeless to get immediate help to avoid becoming part of a long-term population. 
3. Providing navigation and support to help those who have been homeless long term and who are willing and wanting help to find safe shelter and housing options. 
4. Establishing clear rules for our public spaces and enforcing them.

The ordinance may not fix the root causes, but it draws a line on acceptable community behavior and will force us to ensure there are better alternatives. But who and how do we develop, innovate, and provide those alternatives?

I’d welcome thoughts on how the state can better partner with the municipality to improve the health, safety, and enjoyment of Anchorage’s public spaces. 

McCormick says in his commentary, “…We need a reset. AO 2025-74 is that reset…Let’s stop pretending that tolerance of public camping is kindness or acting as if we can’t do anything about it….The public will have a chance to weigh in on this ordinance at the regular Assembly meeting at 6 pm on June 24 at the Loussac Library.”

Ky