Council Vows Action on Agressive Downtown Vagrants

Jay Barrett/KMXT

Vagrancy in downtown Kodiak continues to be a concern to many, with two more residents speaking up at Thursday night’s city council meeting. Both singled out the same spot in town as ground zero for the problem – the area around the Gazebo at the Spit. 

“A trip down to the gazebo or to St. Paul Harbor will show you how pervasive problem this is. Not only are there more and more inebriates, but they are becoming more and more aggressive,” said Jack Mann. “My wife and I go by the gazebo almost every day in our skiff, and the other day there was a couple having sex right at the edge of the gazebo. And it was my friends the inebriates.”

Alexus Kwachka suggested that the community might examine how it could be enabling the inebriates and the vagrants.

“You know I think we need to dive into the Brother Francis Shelter. We need to look at what the role is and how many people we’re supporting and how many people are coming back,” Kwachka said. “I think helping people is fine, but what we’re doing is sustaining people, and that is outrageous. I mean to the point of wanting bulldoze our downtown park? You know? It’s crazy.”

Mann agreed, and read from a newspaper article supporting the enabling argument:

“This is from the Alaska Daily News: ‘Alaska is one of the few states where being drunk in public is not a crime. Police contend with donated tents and food, soup kitchens and sleep off centers for cold nights, and weak laws governing public drinking. Being a homeless alcoholic can be a viable lifestyle,’ and that’s what we’re getting to here,” Mann said. “We’re creating a viable lifestyle, I feel.”

Mayor Pat Branson responded that the city is seeking solutions.

“Just to point out that the city is not a social service agency. But we have been collaborating and meeting with the homeless coalition the human service coalition and the council was discussing this issue as well Tuesday night. So it’s a multi-layered problem, and there’s no silver bullet for solving inebriation, especially publicly. But we’re also looking at loitering laws. There are other communities that have the same problem. And if we look at what they’re doing: more presence downtown; the gazebo is just an invitation for people to hang out there during the day.”

Though the mayor and other councilmen asked the public for suggestions on battling the vagrancy issue, Councilman Rich Walker was a little more direct.

“We’re going to take our town back. We’re going to do whatever we can, and what we have to do, to take our town back. And I would guarantee that.”

Councilman Charlie Davidson agreed that the city should, and will take action, but he cautioned that citizens should be prepared, because he said a final solution will not be cheap.