As a small downtown business owner and resident of downtown Juneau for over 20 years, I have noticed that the homeless situation downtown has gotten way out of hand.
I invite all of you Mendenhall Valley and Douglas residents to come downtown at any time of day or night and you will witness what we have to deal with on a daily basis.
The deliberate littering, shouting profanity, panhandling, drunk inebriates, fighting, loud music at the park and sense of complete entitlement is extremely concerning.
If they are too intoxicated, they cannot come to the Glory Hole for a hot meal (prepared by volunteers), but get a free sack lunch from the Glory Hole. Some eat what they want, and just throw the items they didn’t eat on the sidewalk, including the plastic wrappers and brown paper bag. There is a lack of respect for laws and the neighborhood.
If you were a visitor on a cruise ship or an independent traveler, it would not be a good experience to visit downtown Juneau. You might be afraid to go any further down the street after a brawl erupts at the Glory Hole, which happens frequently.
Most of us business owners are extremely concerned about this situation. The ambulance and fire trucks come there almost every day because of this behavior.
We just got new sidewalks, lighting and pavement, but this upgrade is being ruined by these chronic inebriates.
My year of kindness for these people has ended, however, it has not for people that actually want and need help. I am actually a very kind person.
Please move the Glory Hole out of downtown, or into your neighborhood, and you can feel our pain!
Mark Erickson
Juneau