Downtown Anchorage Faces Rising Tension and Safety Concerns

Kelly Kass owns a building on East Seventh Avenue in downtown Anchorage. Last year a double homicide happened on his back porch. Recently an Airbnb guest in his building pulled a gun to stop an intruder who broke in. Kass said he has changed the door locks many times and added stronger hinges because people keep trying to pry the doors open. He has spent thousands of dollars on new locks, cameras and other security gear.

At a Downtown Community Council meeting many residents spoke about feeling unsafe. They said they see more people loitering, sleeping outside and acting out in Peratrovich Park and near Fourth Avenue and Cordova Street. Some said the trouble comes from people who are in crisis or without homes. Others pointed out that many crimes are done by people who have a place to live but are using drugs to support their habit. Emily Robinson, who works with Restorative & Reentry Services, said it is often hard to tell who is responsible for what, but not all trouble comes from the unhoused.

Kim Verreydt, who co‑owns a massage shop on Cordova Street, told the council that someone shut off the power to her building from an outside switch the night before the meeting. She also said a person with a tiki torch grabbed a purse through an open window during an office party and then used the stolen card to buy things. No arrests have been made so far. Ben Neumann, whose family runs several downtown businesses, said he avoids taking his family downtown because it feels hostile. He described the area as looking and sounding like "the end of civilization".

Police Chief Sean Case and Thea Agnew Bemben, the mayor’s assistant on homelessness and safety, said they are aware of the problem. They talked about two new crisis stabilization centers that are being built and a new intensive case management site that will go downtown next to the Quyana Clubhouse run by Southcentral Foundation. The Anchorage Assembly also changed some rules so police can break up camps and arrest people for low‑level offenses like public drunkenness, threats, public sex or spitting on others.