Our children are not negotiable

The summer of 2020 saw millions of Americans gather and proclaim that “Black Lives Matter.” For weeks last summer, thousands marched in cities, towns and villages across Alaska, demanding accountability for the killing of George Floyd. Anchorage residents not only joined the national chorus for justice but also demanded that the Municipality develop new structures of transparency and accountability for law enforcement. This is not a new struggle in Anchorage, but the George Floyd uprising caused Anchorage to directly face the need for reform. Many have called on the Anchorage Police Department to be more transparent to the community, police officers to be equipped with body cameras, and for the city to hold APD accountable for misconduct.

In 2020, Anchorage voters also approved an alcohol tax. This tax would be used to fund programs such as mobile crisis teams and early childhood education. The Municipality has never had dedicated funding toward either initiative; these funds have been long overdue. The Municipality dedicated $2 million from the alcohol tax toward early childhood education. This funding is especially important given that schools have been closed to most students for months and many child care businesses have struggled to remain open during the pandemic. Children, like many adults, have suffered mental and emotional anguish because of COVID-19.

This raises the question: What do an alcohol tax, early childhood education and police reform have in common? Enter Assemblymembers Jamie Allard, Crystal Kennedy and Kameron Perez-Verdia, who are proposing a resolution, AR-2021-17, which would redirect funds from various municipal departments and redirect $500,000 of the $2 million allocated toward early childhood education. This cut totals 25% of the total funding that early childhood education would receive. The rationale behind the cut is that the city can make the initial payment of $885,200 to equip APD with body cameras, along with other equipment, with these reallocated funds. Others on the Assembly argue that this reallocation is a one-time funding source, leaving body cameras in a precarious funding situation, year after year. The alternative to cutting early childhood education would be the proposed ordinance, AO-2020-116 (S), put forward by Assembly members Meg Zaletel and John Weddleton, calling for a special tax levy ($5.00 per 100,000 in property assessed value) to be approved by Anchorage voters in the upcoming April election. This tax levy would provide long-term funding for body cameras to ensure their continued use.

We support the special tax levy and call on the Anchorage Assembly to approve AO-2020-116(S). It is incredibly cynical to tell families of color that to protect our community and our children from police brutality, that we must choose either properly funding early childhood education or make a one-time payment for body cameras. The Municipality can do both. If the Municipality is serious about righting the wrongs of the past and creating an Anchorage that is truly welcoming, then the Assembly will adopt a long-term strategy that develops and builds structures of transparency and accountability. These structures need to be properly funded and not held hostage to political theater and budget battles. AO-2020-116(S) is a good first step.

Our children are not negotiable; the Municipality is obligated to provide the most opportunity to children and to protect them from police violence. Those who claim that in the name of unity the Assembly must adopt AR-2021-17 are being disingenuous. Unity does not come at the cost of our children.

We are sick and tired of being told to wait for justice for our children. APD needs fully funded body cameras. Anchorage’s most vulnerable children deserve this funding and communities of color deserve accountability. We do not have to choose one over the other; this is a false narrative. We demand both. We call on the Assembly to approve AO-2020-116(S) and, if it is passed, we humbly ask our fellow citizens and neighbors to approve this ballot measure so that Anchorage can begin to lay a foundation of true transparency and accountability that all our children will benefit from.

Danyelle Kimp, Jasmin Smith, Michael Patterson and Roz’lyn Wyche are Anchorage community organizers and parents.

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