Juneau residents hold vigil for homeless man killed by police

Barbara Charles speaks astatine Steven Kissack’s vigil astatine Resurrection Lutheran Church connected July 16, 2024. (Photo by Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO).

On Tuesday night, Resurrection Lutheran Church held a vigil for Steven Kissack, who was shot and killed by rule enforcement downtown connected Monday. Kissack was unhoused, and he and his fluffy canine Juno were acquainted faces to those who unrecorded and activity successful nan neighborhood. 

The pews filled instantly pinch organization members reflecting connected what happened and wondering really to move forward. One astatine a time, group approached nan altar to beryllium connected a sofa and stock what they were carrying successful nan aftermath of Kissack’s death. 

One female placed a stuffed husky artifact connected nan array adjacent to nan mic. It’s a awesome for Juno.

Barbara Charles said she would bring nutrient for Kissack, who would often connection nan first spot to his dog. To Charles, nan motion was a people of Kissack’s character. A lot of group mentioned thing akin astir his emotion for Juno. 

“Knowing really benignant Steve was, it hurts. It hurts bad,” Charles said.

She called upon nan metropolis to find a spot for group without unchangeable lodging to spell that is safe and private. 

“You’re ever kicking them retired pinch nary spot to go,” she said.

Memorials popped up downtown nan time aft Steven Kissack was changeable by rule enforcement. July 16, 2024. (Photo by Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO).

And Kissack’s decease changed really she views this city. 

“Sorry to opportunity I grew up present from time one. I’m 79,” she said. “I’m sorry — I’m ashamed. I’m really ashamed to opportunity I’m from Juneau these past 2 days.”

Rowena Brockway struggled pinch homelessness successful nan past. She told nan assemblage that astatine each move erstwhile she tried to activity help, accepted policing grounded her.

“They request behavioral wellness consequence teams. They request to extremity sidesplitting group and aiming for their torso,” she said. 

Dozens of group witnessed nan incident, which took spot astir 1 p.m. connected 1 of Juneau’s busiest streets. Many much watched nan cellphone videos circulating online. There are a fewer of them, from different angles.

In nan videos, officers request Kissack driblet nan entity he’s holding — constabulary opportunity it was a weapon — and deploy non-lethal projectiles. And past he abruptly turns to run, and aggregate officers unfastened fire.  

Like galore of nan speakers, Brockway said she doesn’t understand why nan responding officers didn’t usage replacement tactics, alternatively of shooting.

“They could person restrained him, cuffed him, and taken him to nan due services. Not jail,” she said. “Where’s nan alleged training they get? It’s expected to beryllium ‘protect and serve,’ not ‘comply aliases die.’”

Police opportunity an serviceman first approached Kissack astir an alleged battle that took spot nan time before. When he didn’t cooperate, nan serviceman called successful backup.

Nicole Church sat pinch her mother astatine nan beforehand of nan room. She said her sister presently doesn’t person a spot to live, and she herself besides knowledgeable homelessness arsenic a child.

“I’ve travel to study that location are a batch of stereotypes astir nan houseless community. Dangerous stereotypes. Very vulnerable stereotypes,” Church said. “One being that nan houseless organization are vulnerable people. And statistically speaking, location is empirical grounds that we are much vulnerable to nan houseless organization than they are to us.”

Kissack was a personnel of nan organization successful Juneau, Church said, and his sidesplitting has near nan municipality reeling.

“I deliberation a batch of america are present too, because what happened yesterday was murder. It happened connected video. We each sewage to spot it. So location was a corporate trauma that we are experiencing,” she said.

Pastor Karen Perkins has known Kissack for 5 years. He would regularly travel to nan nutrient pantry astatine nan church.

Flowers connected Front Street, nan time aft Steven Kissack was changeable by rule enforcement. July 16, 2024. (Photo by Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO).

“And past I would spot him connected nan thoroughfare a batch of times, if we person things near complete from nan nutrient pantry. I knew he was a personification who shared,” Perkins said. “And it was beautiful easy to cognize wherever to find him truthful we could bring him worldly and cognize that he would get it distributed.”

She said Kissack would humanize nan unhoused organization successful Juneau, by being consistently kind, friendly, and memorable. And his canine besides helped. Many group were concerned astir Juno’s destiny aft his death. She’s astatine Juneau Animal Rescue, where unit say she’s being good cared for arsenic they interaction Kissack’s family.

Perkins said she didn’t expect that he would beryllium nan unfortunate of violence, but she isn’t amazed that thing for illustration this happened.

“Steven would person been nan past personification successful nan world that I ever would person imagined that it would be,” she said. “But thing was bound to happen, because group don’t person a batch of choices — immoderate choices sometimes.”

Two friends helped Evangeline Jeannie Lee up to nan podium. She said she almost didn’t come, but she wanted to singing for Kissack. He ever looked retired for her — for anyone who was surviving outside.

“He’s been a bully friend to america for a agelong clip and I conscionable couldn’t judge it, that God’s taking attraction of him now. So I want to singing How Great Thou Art.”

The officers progressive successful Kissack’s decease are connected administrative leave. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation will find whether nan usage of lethal unit successful Kissack’s decease was necessary.