Editor's note: Video includes explicit language
The Anchorage Downtown Partnership reports that its "ambassadors," who patrol downtown on foot, have recently seen an increase of aggression, and in some cases violence, from Anchorage's homeless, especially young adults and teens. The nonprofit estimates there are at least 200 people who live on the streets in the downtown area. A portion of this group sleeps in alleys and doorways, and under heat exhaust vents.
Each morning the Partnership's security team rouses the regulars before the majority of business owners, employees and customers show up. The rest of day they help keep order on downtown streets and inside businesses, like coffee shops, where some of homeless are not welcome because they loiter, steal and harass the general public.
On Friday morning, Feb. 5, Alaska Dispatch News spent about three hours with the interim director of security for the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Michael Knecht, to get a firsthand glimpse into how he helps manage Anchorage's ongoing challenges with the downtown homeless.