Live: Small rally protests Juneau’s ‘landgrab’ of parts of Admiralty Island
Published 9:00 am Friday, June 14, 2019
12:35 p.m.
Things are now wrapping up, and protestors are turning in their signs to the rally organizer to head back to their jobs or homes. Organizer Carlson said there’s no more immediate plans for public demonstrations but a “No Annex on Admiralty” Facebook page will be active.
12:30 p.m.
More pics from the scene, taken by staff photographer Michael Penn.
12:25 p.m.
State Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, D-Sitka, has joined with the protesters and is holding a sign. He said he is fully sympathetic to the City of Angoon’s position that Angoon’s people have been stewards for the lands of Admiralty National Monument for time immemorial.
He said some aspects of CBJ’s annexation proposal are “problematic” including the large portions of Admiralty Island. Other portions, such as Tracy Arm, aren’t objectionable, he said.
12:20 p.m.
The protest is making its way down Main Street toward City Hall.
12:15 p.m.
Maxine Fred-Thomas, mother of the protest’s organizer, came to Juneau from Angoon for this rally. She said others in Angoon wished they could be in attendance to protest but were unable to travel.
12:10 p.m.
Led by Dinah Hobson, rally-goers are singing the Dog Salmon clan song.
Noon
Nine people are here protesting CBJ’s efforts to annex a portion of Admiralty Island.
“It’s the equivalent of me going to your backyard and saying, I like this piece of land, I’m going to take it,” said Erica Carlson. Carlson is from Angoon and resides in Juneau; she helped organize today’s rally.
She said the protest was held at the Capitol instead of City Hall for more exposure.
11:55 a.m.
A protest is getting underway today at noon at the Alaska State Capitol in opposition to the City and Borough of Juneau’s annexation plan, which would eventually have to be approved by the Alaska Legislature.
CBJ is proceeding with an annexation process that would add four tracts of land to the borough, including the Glass Peninsula, Pack Creek and Horse and Colt Islands — as well as a triangle-shaped portion on the mainland including Tracy Arm.
That doesn’t sit well with the City of Angoon, which passed a resolution this week opposing any annexation of Admiralty National Monument, which is located on Admiralty Island. The island is the seventh largest in the U.S. and is home to the highest concentration of brown bears in North America.
Today’s protest centers on the same objection to adding land with cultural and historical ties to Angoon to the City and Borough of Juneau.
• Contact reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.
