Sharing the sidewalk with panhandlers, demonstrators urged Anchorage leaders to scrap a plan to use CARES Act funds to create homeless shelters and a substance-misuse recovery center.
The court threw out a lawsuit brought by Ron and Annette Alleva.
A separate ordinance to purchase four properties for homeless services and treatment will be revisited on Monday after five nights of public testimony.
Thursday’s hearing consisted largely of people in opposition, echoing the hours of testimony in the two nights before.
A public hearing on whether to purchase four buildings for homeless and treatment services was continuing for the third day on Thursday evening.
For the second straight night Wednesday, scores of Anchorage residents spent hours addressing the city’s plan to purchase several buildings and transform its approach to homelessness and substance misuse on the streets.
Assemblyman Chris Constant had asked Rabbi Yosef Greenberg to respond to Anchorage residents who believe the homeless should be gathered and put in a fenced enclosure.
A public hearing and voting on the proposal continued Wednesday evening.
Even before COVID-19 hurt Anchorage's economy, advocates say, demand greatly outstripped supply for affordable housing units geared toward the city's homeless and nearly homeless population.
The plan would change the city's approach to homelessness, but has drawn opposition from some residents.
While cleaning his Fairview property this spring, Darl Schaaff found 54 used syringes. It moved him to tears, he said, and inspired him to make a statement about a problem many people seem to ignore.
The Anchorage Assembly this month will consider the city's potential purchase of four buildings that would host programs providing housing and treatment to residents in need.
The buildings include two hotels, a former athletic club and Bean's Cafe soup kitchen and shelter.
The Berkowitz administration is considering purchasing the Best Western Golden Lion Hotel to create new services for people with addictions.
The impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have put further strains on a complex problem.
The Anchorage facility will convert from homeless shelter back to ice arena after decontamination
After giving residents a 10-day notice to clear out, police and parks and recreation staff told campers it was time to vacate.
Officers and emergency operations staff distributed face masks and told campers the site would be shut down in 10 days.
The Assembly on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution calling for immediate action by the Berkowitz administration to clean up the camps.
The measure asks the Berkowitz administration to take immediate action to address problems at camps that have been made worse since the COVID-19 pandemic.
