The heads of four Juneau-based Alaska Native institutions are urging the Juneau Assembly to abandon its proposal to make camping downtown a ticketable offense.
The proposed ordinance targets some of the homeless people who sleep in storefront nooks. It has the support of the Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson and some store owners. Mayor Ken Koelsch had the ordinance drafted.
In a letter to the Juneau Assembly, the leaders say removing campers from downtown district can be done in “a humane and compassionate” way by establishing a campsite elsewhere.
The letter of opposition was signed by Rosita Worl of Sealaska Heritage Institute, Richard Peterson of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Anthony Mallott of Sealaska Corp., and Charles Clement of SEARHC.
