I have lived in Anchorage since 1975. I originally came up here as an intern with a program at the University of Denver College of Law to work with Alaska Native corporations in implementing the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). We were paid $40 a week for expenses and provided with a place to stay.
The first Saturday after arrival, a fellow law student and I hitchhiked with our ski gear to Girdwood to go skiing at Alyeska. A pickup driver offered us a lift and, during the ride down, his cabin to stay in for the weekend. He drove us to his cabin and explained sourdough starter, as well as where to leave the key. We never saw him again. We were stunned and grateful for the kindness of this stranger.
I also gave no thought to hitchhiking at this time. I did not have concerns for my personal safety in Alaska then, or for decades afterward, assuming I was using good judgment on where to go and when.
I now have such concerns. I no longer feel safe using the paved bike trails in Anchorage. I carry a canister of bear spray and a Swiss Army knife in an open pack within reach on my handlebars. They are not solely for bear protection. I always try to bike with other people on the trail.
I frequently meet friends downtown for dinner or to attend concerts in the evenings mostly in the fall, winter and spring, when it is dark. I do not feel safe walking alone from parking spots several blocks away to the venue. I will circle around many times in my car to try to find a space close to my destination. I also try to walk to the venue with a group of people when possible. I spurn parking garages because I don’t believe they are safe (although the latest offer from a city downtown garage to provide an escort to and from your vehicle is a start in the right direction).
Even when walking back to the car with a friend, we have felt very uncomfortable when confronted by men, usually intoxicated, around the Egan Center, farther east on Fifth Avenue near Penney’s or Sullivan’s, or outside bars south of Fifth Avenue. I never see police, either on foot or in vehicles, patrolling the downtown area in the evenings. I have never seen a policeman, on foot or bicycle, on a city bike trail. Yet I know or read about women who have been assaulted downtown or on bike trails.
I do see the presence of police throughout downtown on patrol in cities throughout the United States and in other parts of the world.
It is unfortunate, but I believe the physical presence of police, particularly in the evenings in downtown Anchorage as well as on the city’s paved bike trails, would deter crime and make it a safer place for everyone.
Carol Johnson is a retired attorney who has lived in Anchorage since 1975.
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