Thread by @ANCDEADBEAT

I'm here at the Arctic Rec Center for Mayor Bronson's Town Hall! Pretty good turnout so far. 🧵 #ANCgov

Bronson brings us to the meeting. Starting right on time. He says he's here to listen and hear the community tell him what should happen in their community. Says there are politicians here, but we're "not here to do politicking" #ANCgov

Everyone will get 90 seconds to speak. He says he doesn't have any further remarks, he's here to listen. #ANCgov

Cecilia kicks us off. Has lived across the street for 30 years, and the politicians have kicked the homeless issue around the whole time. Compares it to the midtown hotel situation. #ANCgov

She says if we used the old Native Charter School, we could be the best in the union. Says the politicians need to listen to us. #ANCgov

President of the Midtown Community Council, Kris, speaks. Thanks Bronson for putting this together. She asks for no name-calling, yelling, or put downs. #ANCgov

Ryan Quigley, who lives across Arctic, speaks. He's interrupted by technical issues. He says he has conflicting thoughts. He is a neighbor, and he knows any of us could fall on hard times. To some degree we have a responsibility. #ANCgov

He says he's a neighbor to Willowcrest elementary, he's worried for the kids and what they could find on their way to school. He's worried as a neighbor to the businesses. #ANCgov

He says the businesses aren't nameless, faceless corporations, they're out neighbors and friends. He says he's doing the right thing by standing up. #ANCgov

Kris Deatch (sp?) Is a sixth grade teacher at Willowcrest. She's been in the neighborhood 25 years. She says her students matter. Our people who are experiencing homelessness matter, but placing the project here isn't the answer. Students play at the nearby park. #ANCgov

This is it for those kids, they have a hard life. Most of her students are in crisis, and now they want to place more on the children's plates? She's scared for her kids. #ANCgov

Kelly, relocated from SoCal, moved up here because of the homeless crisis. In Cali, they had to turn their community into a gated community. Left so that she didn't have to deal with that, pay those taxes. She's a rehab director at Providence. #ANCgov

She says the largest diagnosis issues are drug abuse, respiratory illness, etc. This isn't something we need near the school. That park is all these kids have. Opening a homeless shelter nearby is irresponsible. #ANCgov

I missed his name, but a gentleman explains that the purpose of government is to provide infrastructure. Services. Roads. Why is he paying the government to pay for homeless people? Says take the homeless out of here, tell em not to come back. #ANCgov

He says we invested in Sullivan to improve the community, and now the homeless have trashed it. #ANCgov

Bradley, who works in Muldoon but lived off Oxford, says that if you're concerned about your kids, what you'll see sucks. When Centennial was used, crime went up. Fights. Public sex. Every day he had to kick people out of the front of his businesses. Cops refused to show up.

Human feces in his lot every day. Bottles. Syringes. One day he walked out of his business, and there was noise in his bathroom. They came out 30 minutes later, and had rubbed feces all over the walls. That's what you'll see, not to mention your property being stolen. #ANCgov

Rochelle Griffith, resident and Yupik Alaskan. She reads from Jim Crawford's statements on homelessness. She says it wasn't racist, it's trying to diagnose the problem. What is racist is locking Alaskan Natives to die on the street while allowing others to make money. #ANCgov

Shelters aren't a solution, taking away a rec center isn't a solution, they need substance abuse treatment centers. Housing them is enabling. #ANCgov

Sierra asks us all to look around. This is a big deal. Thanks them for taking the time. Thanks Bronson for giving us the time. Thanks Felix for coming, it's brave. #ANCgov

She says she was excited about having conversations, it should've started this way. We know better, that's where this should've started. She works with kindergartners, and they teach them that you can't show up to the same fight, you have to change if you're failing. #ANCgov

A gentleman says he agrees with the enablement comment. This city has spent over $100mil, which could've bought 400 homes but that isn't the solution. We have to change the model. We can't house first, we have to fix the root problem: alcohol/drug addiction issues. #ANCgov

He sees people sleep outside, his car has been attacked. He's called APD 25-30 times this year to no response. If we look at the money, the model, we need functional zero. Look it up, he says. #ANCgov

Another man speaks, says he's amazed Rivera has the guts to be here. We can vote people out. He's an engineer, he's seen how people try to put homeless into neighborhoods where they don't belong. You wouldn't put a shopping center here. #ANCgov

A low barrier shelter looks like the Sullivan, so that's what it'll look like. He also doesn't support the Tudor location. He says we should use the Clithrow out by the airport. It's time for change. #ANCgov

Next woman says Anchorage needs a solution, and Arctic is better than Centennial happening again. Sending people out in tents next to bears isn't right. Optimum locations have been located, then the community comes out and opposes it. But look at the Sockeye Inn, you wouldn't...

...know it was being used. Let's use the Arctic Rec Center. Let's get the people housed and safe first, until we can get the Tudor location built. #ANCgov

Melissa Sullivan, speaks for the neighborhood. They are frustrated. If there are proposals, why are they funding out from ADN. We have a assembly member who works for the ACEH. They can't tell them the criteria for selection. #ANCgov

They can't give an example of a successful execution. She says that the Rec Center isn't off the table. What's a resolution? We're learning as we go. She isn't a politician and she's frustrated. #ANCgov

Andrew Fisher, father of four, says his kids come here every summer. He wants them to continue coming. One of his kids used to be homeless. All four are adopted. This place means a lot to him and his kids. #ANCgov

Randy H, who works in the neighborhood. Thanks Bronson for his courage. We're all impacted by the homeless issue. Property tax increased. The city is a trash dump. The cost is over $60k/homeless person. We've had enough. #ANCgov

Says this is a homeless industry. By their actions, they appear to want more homeless so they can expand their industry. We see people sleeping on the streets. He says there are circumstances where people are homeless due to circumstance. #ANCgov

Jason Lassar, lives across the street. He can't say if he's for or against, as there is no plan. He says we need to look at all potential sites to see what works best for who we're trying to help. These are human beings. This could be part of a larger program. Ask for plans.

He has been to more town halls than the mayor, and he has yet to see a full plan. What can we do to help out our neighbors? Like it or not, the homeless are also our neighbors. "That which you do to the least of my people you do to me." #ANCgov

Sarah Short, says she's been handing out papers about how many beds are used. Says 884 unused beds. Cites the expense of the Golden Lion and the other locations. Says the assembly went to ask for $25mil for Arctic Rec Center without asking. She's the mother of an addict. #ANCgov

She says we could take this money and put money into the Elmore place, where we've already invested money. It should be right there, next to services, next to the hospitals. Without that, it allows her daughter to put more drugs in her body to kill herself with. #ANCgov

Christine, lives across the street. She has experience with low income housing, shelters, etc. This is kicking the can down the road. This is fiscally irresponsible. We can't plow our roads, bus our kids, etc because we spend our .oney on the minority. We need to ask...

...the native corporations to step in and do their part. It's irresponsible of the city to keep doing this. #ANCgov

Jeanette, lives across the way. She's lived across the street 7+ years. She has been homeless. She says this is a band-aid. This is a mental issue, a drug issue. Can't be solved with housing. Needs to be solved through treatment. #ANCgov

She coaches and manages hockey teams. She had to coach outside when they shut down the rinks for covid and had to carry a gun. She had a group of girls get flashed by the homeless by the Sullivan. #ANCgov

Outdoor sex, pot smoke coming into the rink. Every hockey player she's coached is her kid. She wants better for all her kids. #ANCgov

She says there are empty rooms already, we need services. #ANCgov

Dorian Brown, yields her time to her husband. He has a degree, he's Alaska native, a retired veteran. He's the manager for a residence facility. He says ask the homeless where they want to live? They might want to live on the street. They statistically use drugs and alcohol...

...and that leads to this. They are homeless and choose to be. Homelessness and addiction happen together. It's the largest cause. We don't know where they'll be tomorrow, and they don't care. Putting them here isn't the solution. #ANCgov

They need to be tracked in real time. Held accountable. Putting them into another shelter in a low crime community will buffer them from having to return to being productive members of the community. #ANCgov

He references Abilene, TX's functional zero goal. Says if they want to do this here, lower the taxes and allow for better fences. The assembly should be tackling crime. Homeless must stop being homeless by becoming productive. Artic should stay a rec center, not a wrecked center.

Next man says the ACEH should be renamed the Homelessness Industrial Complex. Reads statistics from the past, compares them to now. #ANCgov

He says the state numbers have stayed largely flat, but we build spaces for homeless and they have come. #ANCgov

Jim Agnes, manages property nearby. Heard about this last week. Business owners don't want to do business here if this happens. This is the new big business in town. The city has all sorts of plans, this is a quick solution. But come on. It has to be planned correct. #ANCgov

He says the only reason we have this is because the Mayor. He's been to assembly meetings and he leaves sick to his stomach. He has a homeless friend too. Once they're gone they're gone. Mental health facilities, substance abuse programs, those help. Let's plan stuff. #ANCgov

Stewart Renier, who lives next to Centennial. He understands that Bronson had to do something. He says the Northway Mall seems like the best place for this, it's far from wooded areas. People are drug dealing in the woods. People are "deck surfing." Cops don't come. #ANCgov

He saw a man with a spinning grinder on Boundary. If you have a shelter anywhere in town, you have to convince the residents that private property exists. This will destroy communities. #ANCgov

Robert and his wife have lived across the street for forty years. He originally was concerned about the Rec Center, but now what a beautiful place. People share events here. The recreation center. He doesn't know who put it on their radar, but it should be gone. #ANCgov

If there was a disaster and people needed refuge, a great location. But we don't want to see this become a place where people don't want to do. Take this place off the radar. #ANCgov

Ted Snyder, youth rugby coach. They use this as a practice facility to spend more time with the kids. It's a god send. He lives near the trails, his home has been broken into. This is not a good situation. You cannot coddle the homeless. You can't arrest them for being homeless,

But you can arrest them for all the crime they do. Maybe we should work on that. This building is a godsend. Every time the assembly wants to do something, the first thing they attack is youth sports. Don't let the poor get comfortable being poor. #ANCgov

Bill Durand says that the assembly wants to make this about housing, but it's about drugs. Chinese fentanyl, methamphetamine. They need treatment, not a flop house. This plan doesn't take into account the lives that'll be thrown into the blender. #ANCgov

Nina, a recovered homeless person, testifies. There is hope. She works for a temporary housing program. A humble group of mostly indigenous people. They hired her when even a gas station wouldn't. What do we do when someone comes to us? We help, we acknowledge Jesus. #ANCgov

She thanks him for saving her, or else she wouldn't be here today. She used to rip off delis to feed others. She's the one you're talking about on your properties. But people didn't give up. #ANCgov

She talks about House of Transformations, the evaluations they do. The partners for reentry. Hats off to the employers who are willing to employ their people. And hats off to the landlords that would offer to house them. #ANCgov

Give the homeless a model to follow. How many of you are willing to work with the homeless? #ANCgov

Mark, lives not far. How often do we hear politicians speak on personal responsibility? Not enough. He has sympathy for those that need, but there are far more who want. Homelessness industry. Personal responsibility is the core. #ANCgov

Amber King, born and raised in Anchorage. For all who are screaming at the mayor, scream at the assembly. They profit from homelessness, so they don't care anymore. They didn't care about the Sullivan, the Golden Lion, the only reason they are taking the "clean slate"...

...is because of the election. She says if you don't vote, this is what happens to our city. Don't just get mad now, get mad always if you love this city. #ANCgov

Brianna Bailey. She's an auntie, they usually bring the kids here on the weekend. Teach them life skills. Take time off the parents. She talks about Zack, who runs this place. He has a community here, he built it. #ANCgov

She says she loves the homeless population, the homeless community. But there has to be something else. We have to restructure what a shelter looks like. She is shaking because the Holy Spirit is inside her. Something has to break. #ANCgov

In order to gain trust, there has to be inclusion. To have something like this just thrown out there without it doesn't breed trust. We have to figure out how to make this work. She says Meg is cool, at times. We have to learn to agree and disagree. #ANCgov

Jan, lifelong Anchorage resident. Her grandfather used to go to borough meetings. She says she goes sometimes. She's never seen a majority like we have now that doesn't listen to the people, makes so many bad decisions, build a homeless business. #ANCgov

She says Nick Begich came up with a plan and they shot it down immediately, because it included a 30 day stint in jail for committing crimes. She saw them recoil when it was suggested that some need to take time in jail. Then Bronson suggested a plan...

...and they played along until they wanted more. She thinks we should go with Bronson's plan, not building giant homeless facilities. #ANCgov

Vicky, from East Side. We voted in Bronson. She was never involved in politics until the mask mandates, and she has never been so insulted. This is an insult. Look at your neighbors, get out and get the vote out. Take the time to vote out our current assembly. #ANCgov

Steph, loves 900ft from the Golden Lion. How do you know when your assembly member is lying to you? When they're speaking. When they heard about the GL, they got canned responses. #ANCgov

On July 1, they had an impromptu community meeting. Felix got up, and said "I have to hear you, but I don't have to listen to you." The only reason this isn't full steam ahead, is because there is an election. We have to vote them out. #ANCgov

She says they were locked out of discussion. They bought the Golden Lion. Why is there no treatment facility? Because no one wants to run it. #ANCgov

Elizabeth Aumavae, House of Transformation. She doesn't like to talk, she likes to do the action. United we stand, divided we fall. That's what's happening. There's a lot of division, how do we unite? Chain of command. If the assembly won't work alongside the mayor, we'll...

...have division. She supports the Elmore location. That would already be open. She sees where people are at. The solution isn't working. Get it on Elmore or Clithrow. Put them there, not anywhere else. #ANCgov

Bronson asks everyone who wants to speak to line up. We only have til 8. #ANCgov

Retired Sgt Jones. We do not need housing for the homeless. He was an alcoholic when he was in the barracks. He was given a 7 on an evaluation, he was a bad alcoholic. He thought it was over. But they kept pushing him, he had a mentor, Doug Quincy. Homeless need kicks in the butt

Roger Branson, long time advocate. He spent much of last summer in Centennial. He was able to serve coffee, and is able to do so in the Sullivan. Right now there are a variety of factors. Thanks to accountability, at the Sullivan, drug use is at an all time low. #ANCgov

He challenges us to work together. #ANCgov

A man testifies. His mother lives 800ft west. He has a lot invested in the area. His wife was a school teacher who worked at Mountain View Elementary. Some of her students got attacked by a gentleman with mental health issues. He's concerned about the safety of the children.

Kim Miss. She says she's maybe the representation of the other half. Says this feels like a Bronson friendly town hall. She wants an assembly and admin that can work together. She says the place isn't the issue (people yell that it is). She asks how the mayor can not have a plan

People heckle her. She says we need a mayor that can work with the assembly, and vice versa, but we're too far at ends. #ANCgov

Donna Daniels says in her neighborhood they are dealing with break ins. They're near the Campbell Creek bike trail, where the homeless go to "have fun." She says this is the second time she's been at a meeting where an assembly member told them their opinion didn't count. #ANCgov

She says that we need a mayor and assembly who works together. #ANCgov

Brett Barringer, owns a property nearby. Says there's been a change in the homeless. People defecating, sleeping in his parking lot, reeking of marijuana. There are effects. Those are child's play compared to what will happen here. It will be a trainwreck. #ANCgov

He hires a lot of female workers and it won't be safe for them. Says the assembly has a disconnect between not having a home and homeless behavior. They are treatment resistant and continue to cause problems. Trainwreck, no way to mitigate. #ANCgov

A woman with 52 years in the neighborhood speaks. I can't hear her well, she speaks super quiet. Talks about a nearby employer? She's wary about traffic at that business. Stealing from porches. Needing more employees for safety. It isn't what they want. #ANCgov

It's a big deal when our kids won't want to be on the same block as us. #ANCgov

Nathan Hopp, landlord. He thanks the three women from House of Transformation for their powerful speeches. He says maybe if there could be training for landlords and people like that, that could be helpful. Maybe landlords could contribute. #ANCgov

Final testifier. His family has lived here many years. Last time there was a crowd this big here was for the rezoning for this land 15 years ago. There's supposed to be specific restrictions on this plot, that restrict things like low barrier shelters. #ANCgov

He reads from the platting notes on the plot. He thanks everyone who got up and spoke. He doesn't want this to be a political issue, it's a community issue. We don't need to find out someone is chasing money in Juneau without us even knowing there's a plan. #ANCgov

You can't ask for money for a project that doesn't exist, not even our legislators would do that. He thanks the assembly members who are here. He's been messaging them for a while and hasn't been graced with their opinion. #ANCgov

Bronson says we only have a few minutes left. Rivera is here, Zalatel is here. Alexis Johnson is here. We can all meet outside. He says housing is complex, there's 3000 people we're supporting. ACEH is doing a great job. His focus is on shelter, because that make the streets safe

He says Mark Vs. Boise creates the envelope that we can operate in. You can't jail the homeless for being homeless or adjacent issues. It's a complex problem, and the assembly and him fight a lot, but they agree on a lot of stuff. Let's not beat each other up too terribly much.

Okay Bronson's final speech was about 5 minutes long, I didn't tweet because I was trying to film all of it. But he called for working together, gave some props to the assembly and the community, asserted his focus on shelter, and we ended the town hall. #ANCgov

With that, I am out for the evening. Stay safe, Anchorage, and tell the ones you love that you love them. #ANCgov