Residents in northeast Anchorage are raising alarms about a Centennial Park homeless encampment after a recent fire at Davis Park. The situation unfolded Sunday when Northeast Community Council member Stuart Grenier spotted people unloading furniture and belongings at the park.
Some appeared to be setting up camp, raising safety concerns. Gernier said municipal vehicles arrived later to remove some discarded furniture while more people continued unloading items. According to Gernier, several individuals claimed they had been displaced from a different downtown or downtown Anchorage encampment. He reported the situation to local authorities and contacted Anchorage Assembly member Karen Bronga.
“And it was at one time we had the municipal people pulling the trash out and folding it up and people unloading the stuff and sliding it in simultaneously,” Grenier explained. He emphasized that Centennial Park homeless encampment risks include fire hazards and safety threats.
Bronga arrived at the scene shortly after acknowledging the ongoing struggle to address illegal encampments despite recent municipal efforts. She stated that while the city now has legal authority, finding sustainable solutions remains challenging.
“This being able to just drag a house worth of stuff into the woods is not okay,” Bronga said. She mentioned creating a municipal park ranger program to patrol and manage Anchorage´s public spaces.
Bronga further explained that not every situation requires a police officer. “But if we had a Ranger, you know, a couple of Park Rangers that went around to the various parks,” she said. Additionally, Bronga proposed a community-driven initiative where residents actively monitor parks through adopt-a-park programs.
This news article was originally published by Alaska´s News Source.
