As a lifelong Juneau resident I, too, have been concerned about the rise in high profile homelessness in downtown. When I was growing up, it was very rare to see people sleeping out in doorways and on sidewalks — but I think this should elicit empathy and compassion on our part as citizens rather than a knee-jerk initiative to drive a group of people out of downtown.
I’ve been uneasy with steps taken over the past decade, particularly the decision to get rid of the benches in Marine Park, a move designed to make downtown less hospitable to indigent people.
I respect the work the Mayor and his business owning friends and collaborators have undertaken to improve downtown, but this latest move seems to be mean spirited.
From a practical standpoint, are these people going away? It seems like creating an exclusion zone just moves the homeless poor into residential neighborhoods and into the woods. Furthermore, there are specific ordinances already in place that address the petty crimes this ordinance seeks to remedy and prevent such as public intoxication, littering, defecation, fighting, among others. Perhaps the Juneau Police Department should enforce the ordinances in place more aggressively rather than criminalizing a person finding a dry spot to lay down.
If this is the best we can do as a city then shame on us for meeting their misery with disgust and rejection. The homeless poor are someone’s nieces, brothers, sons, fathers and grandchildren. They are human beings.
There are a lot of discussions that need to happen about the Housing First project, social services and the mental health system, but in the meantime, let the homeless stay.
Miguel Rohrbacher
Juneau
