‘It’s a good win,’ outgoing Anchorage mayor says of Supreme Court homelessness ruling

A man walks done an encampment successful Anchorage’s South Addition vicinity connected June 28, 2024. Julie Greene-Graham, affiliated pinch nan adjacent Central Lutheran Church, said nan campers and religion are trying to beryllium bully neighbors to each other. (Jeremy Hsieh/Alaska Public Media)

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a precedent Friday that protected bum group from reward for camping successful nationalist spaces erstwhile they person obscurity other to go. 

Outgoing Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson said nan aged precedent group successful 2018 hamstrung nan city’s expertise to negociate its bum population. His administration’s ineligible section formally backed nan winning broadside past year. 

Friday, Bronson celebrated nan decision. 

“It’s a bully win,” he said. “It’s going to springiness early administrations passim nan West Coast, passim nan Ninth Circuit, latitude to – because we’ve been very restricted, and it’s been very onerous connected america successful our expertise to power behaviour successful our city.”

He said he doesn’t intend to do thing pinch nan caller powers successful his last days of his term. Suzanne LaFrance takes complete arsenic politician connected Monday. 

“It’s a instrumentality related to wherever group tin sleep, but it’s not a solution to nan truth that truthful galore group are sleeping outside,” LaFrance said successful a statement. “We cannot and will not get distracted from focusing connected solutions to unsheltered homelessness: housing, year-round shelter, and entree to treatment.”

She said she’s committed to acting connected solutions. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska, which has open lawsuits against nan metropolis complete antecedently displaced campers, decried nan precocious court’s decision. 

“Today’s ruling is simply a bleak and sadistic determination that will let cities to punish group who are conscionable trying to past while surviving unhoused,” said ACLU Legal Director Ruth Botstein. “Our unhoused neighbors merit nan dignity and respect that each Anchorage residents should expect. The ACLU of Alaska is committed to moving pinch nan municipality and partners to find pathways to amended nan lives and protect nan law authorities of Alaskans experiencing homelessness.” 

Jemar Alex is surviving retired of a campsite on a awesome roadworthy successful nan South Addition vicinity that popped up aft campsites astir nan Chester Creek Trail were precocious cleared. Alex said nan court’s determination is simply a bad thing.  

“Give backmost and effort to person housing. Approve stuff, you know?” he said. “So we don’t person to beryllium retired here. For real.”

Julie Greene-Graham, right, and Jenn Miller talk pinch group camping adjacent Central Lutheran Church successful Anchorage connected June 28, 2024. Greene-Graham chairs a Central Lutheran-affiliated nonprofit called In Our Backyard, and Miller useful connected a United Methodist Church-affiliated task called Showered successful Grace that makes a mobile ablution portion disposable to nan needy. (Jeremy Hsieh/Alaska Public Media)

Felix Rivera is nan Anchorage Assembly’s lead connected lodging and homelessness policies. In a statement, he noted that arsenic precocious arsenic April, nan Assembly rejected a Bronson management connection to penalize forbidden camping. Rivera said it’s ne'er been nan city’s argumentation to “actively prosecute” group without homes for camping. 

The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness called nan determination disappointing, but said it won’t alteration its activity supporting people’s basal needs. 

“People request a spot to rest, to sleep, to simply be,” nan conjugation said successful a statement.