I am growing frustrated with the suggestion that those who support the camping ordinance lack compassion for those it impacts. I have been a member of this community for my entire life. I support Housing First and progressive solutions to take better care of the homeless. Juneau needs improved mental health resources and more housing options. I know that the answer is clear, the research has already been done, it is in the best interest of the entire community both fiscally and morally, to take care of those who cannot care for themselves. This is the long-term solution that we must continue to fight for as there is no more time for debate, and we have turned a blind eye to those in need for decades, it must end here.
However, as a caring and compassionate lifelong resident of Juneau, I also feel that my own personal safety is being jeopardized on a daily basis. The assertion that my fear for my safety in some way makes me inhumane is unfair and offensive. Rousing intoxicated and aggressive individuals, cleaning up feces and dirty needles — just to get my workday started — makes me feel unsafe, and justifiably so. I should not, and will not expect my employees to put themselves in harm’s way to come work at our local business. We don’t expect this from any other businesses in this community, why should retailers be the exception? Should we allow the homeless to camp in your office buildings? At the entrance to your cubicles? On your front stoop? It is private property, and it is no different.
This is not a debate about public space. Each member of this community is free to allow the homeless to sleep on their lawns or porches, or not. Why are we not granted the same freedoms? I have yet to see anyone offer up their porch to the folks who are seeking shelter in our doorway. It is one thing to choose to work with the homeless on your terms, and I commend those who make that choice. It is entirely different when the choice is not yours, and it is forced upon you every day. As it stands, the Juneau Police Department does not have the authority to remove individuals from our doorway at 3 a.m. — we must wait until someone arrives to open the store, and physically be present, remaining with the individuals until the police arrive, and then are expected to clean up the aftermath of the night’s activities. This poses a direct and imminent threat to public safety, and should not be allowed to continue.
This is no longer just a matter of protecting our business interests, this has now become a very real safety issue. I strongly believe that we as a community must act swiftly to provide for the homeless in Juneau — I also have to go to work on South Franklin Street tomorrow morning — and I am deserving of a solution to the immediate safety concerns while the long-term solutions are put in motion. It is absolutely not too much to ask that JPD be allowed to remove individuals from my doorstep so that I may safely get to work.
The most unsettling aspect of this all for me is the divisiveness that is now surrounding this issue. We as a community have allowed ourselves to come to a boiling point, where there is a very strong attitude of “us against them.” This should not be how we do things here in Juneau, and it certainly does not help anyone, especially those who are most vulnerable. Last Saturday I marched with the women and men in this community to promote unity, and rights for us all to feel safe and important. Monday night when I testified before the Assembly some of these same women were there, rolling their eyes at me and shaking their heads when I said I felt unsafe. What kind of message is that sending me? Who has my back? I was born in Juneau. I volunteer and donate in this community, I am not a cold or inhumane person, and now suddenly I feel like I am being vilified for feeling unsafe on private property, in my own place of work.
I hear so many people saying things like “Business owners shouldn’t have to bear this burden, but…” Or, “This is a real safety issue, but…” For me there is no “but” — I deserve to feel safe at work, on private property, immediately, now, today, no but. Let us remember to have compassion for everyone, the local family businesses and their employees are no exception.
• Laura Martinson lives in Juneau and has been a business manager here for 17 years.
