KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Mitch Borden/KMXT
A public forum addressing drugs and addiction was recently held in the City of Kodiak. It was hosted by the city’s Mayor, Pat Branson, and the Kodiak Island Borough Mayor, Dan Rohrer. The event was called the Mayors’ Summit on Drugs. The purpose of the forum was to raise awareness about drugs and ways the community can come together to fight addiction.
One of the speakers was Jami Gibson, who shared the story of her past relationship with drugs and her path to sobriety. To an audience of about 50 people at the Kodiak Convention Center, she detailed how she became a heroin dealer, after using opiates for years. And, eventually ended up in prison, where she was able to get drug counseling.
After sharing her story and answering questions, Gibson, along with the rest of the audience, listened to speakers present how the borough and the city want to work with community organizations to support individuals in recovery. Educate children about drugs. And, inform residents about resources for those struggling with addiction.
After the forum, Gibson said she thinks Kodiak is headed in the right direction with its drug policy and hopes people will come together to help those who are ready to get sober, because, she says, they’re going to need it.
“We do need places where we can turn. So, I’m looking at maybe it’s going to be maybe more of a community uprising of being out there and ready to help those who are suffering.”
During the forum, the audience was allowed to ask questions and make suggestions. Deborah Bitanga pointed out that there didn’t seem to be a lot of representation from Kodiak’s immigrant communities at the meeting. She wants to see broader outreach to people in Kodiak because all cultures are dealing with problems related to addiction.
“Looking around, it’s like where is the representation of our immigrant communities. We see a lot of our white folks in here, but where is our Native American community, where is our Mexican community, and that’s what I wanted to bring up.”
Bitanga originally came to Kodiak from the Philippines when she was around 12. After the forum, she said she wants to work on helping prevent other immigrants in Kodiak from getting hooked on drugs.
“Especially the young people using maybe art and focusing on our immigrant communities because sometimes we don’t have as much, we are underserved. So, hopefully, using my college education to give back since this community has given to me so much.”
Another forum will be held later this year, after the summer fishing season. At that time, a more concrete action plan will be presented by the city and the borough’s representatives after the information and suggestions they gleaned from community members at the most recent summit has been processed.
