Downtown Anchorage looked festive over the weekend as the city held its annual “Holiday Tree Lighting,” with Mayor Suzanne LaFrance welcoming families to the season (they avoid saying Christmas now), Santa posing for photos, and the crowds spilling warm light across Town Square.
But when the music faded and the visitors went home, the real Anchorage resurfaced.
By late last night and again this morning, the streets filled back in with the people who never truly left – those huddled against concrete curbs and building walls, curled beneath trees, slumped on benches, some shivering without blankets, others in wheelchairs or lying on bare pavement.
In this photo gallery, we take you on a visual tour of Anchorage after the festivities are over, where the human tragedy becomes unavoidable and the city’s failure to care for its most vulnerable is impossible to ignore.
This is the Anchorage that the mayor does not want you to see.
5 thoughts on “Photo gallery: After the tree lighting, the real residents return to Town Square Park in Anchorage”
The Muni needs to propose and pass a ‘No Camping’ ordinance to encourage homeless, unhoused and vagrants to accept live saving help and assistance in transitioning into their own permanent living arrangements or be prepared to camp outside Muni boundaries.
Anchorage ALREADY has a ” NO CAMPING” ORDINANCE, but they are NOT enforcing it, becuase it brings in the $$$ which is used for other things..These people DO NOT WANT to live by the rules ANYWHERE..In order to get housing, they must comply with the everyday common rules which they refuse..For some, we need to ship them back to where they came from.. Some of these people have “come”? up here to gain residency for their PFD drug money.
They already have a No Camping Ordinance and a No Open Burning Ordinance and a No Shitting on the sidewalk ordinance and a No doing drugs in public, No shoplifting No theft No assault etc etc etc. What we need is an administration that will ACTUALLY enforce laws already on the books
Our traditional RED state is quickly becoming BLUE! GET OUT YOUR VOTE! WE MUST TURN OUT AND STOP THIS LIBERAL INVASION!
The liberal invasion you deride saves lives.