The Juneau Empire stories I have read suggest to me that the concerns of the Angoon people (regarding being annexed by the Juneau borough), are being brushed off, by the majority vote of Juneau Assembly members, as being irrelevant. I was not at the meeting in question. I do not know the Assembly members who support annexation. However, I would like to suggest that the concerns of the Angoon people, focused on protecting and preserving their subsistence and cultural foundations, are at least as relevant as the concerns of affluent Juneau citizens who own remote cabins and property in Funter Bay, and who prevailed in their concerns about annexation.
The acrimonious political climate dividing this nation has to stop smothering civilized debate and reasonable concerns. The Angoon people have every right, as indigenous residents and American citizens, to voice their concerns, and have them addressed in a lengthy, introspective and sincere manner, rather than being flippantly “brushed off” by one very close vote of the Juneau Assembly.
In Juneau, we have a diversity of cultures, where we strive to give each of a compendium of world cultures, a platform on which to feel comfortable making their voices heard and carefully considered. Diminishing any voice, by shutting the Angoon people down in one evening, only serves to further corrode our fragile and precious democratic process.
Mr. Mayor. Assembly members. I join Joe Zuboff and Angoon Mayor Pauline Jim in calling for reconsideration of the vote annexing the Angoon people. The Juneau I know and love is a place where most folks want to see everybody win. I urge you to sit down, face-to-face, with the wonderful people of Angoon, and craft a solution that emphasizes and reflects a sincere recognition of, respect for and protection of the thousands year Tlingit cultural values and subsistence living that define us all.
Garri Constantine,
Juneau