(SitNews) Juneau, Alaska - The presidents of Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), Sealaska, the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) and the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) have written a letter petitioning the Juneau Assembly to reject a proposed ordinance to illegalize camping on private property in the downtown district.

The proposal-an effort to prevent homeless people from sleeping in retail doorways and other spaces-would criminalize citizens who are the most impoverished residents and who suffer with physical, mental and social illnesses, the groups wrote.

"This ordinance would impose penalties on citizens who have the least capability to pay fines, ultimately leading to their incarceration. We believe the issue can be resolved in a humane and compassionate manner with the establishment of a site for camping elsewhere in the City," the letter said.

The letter was signed by SHI President Rosita Worl, CCTHITA President Richard J. Peterson, Sealaska President and CEO Anthony Mallott and SEARHC President and CEO Charles Clement.

The groups asked the city to instead consider a recommendation to the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority that the proceeds from their pending sale of trust lands to the Develop Juneau Now LLC in downtown Juneau be dedicated to funding a camping site for those citizens who are not eligible to utilize existing shelters.

"We have confidence that the City can develop and implement innovative solutions to address this issue in the same way the City created a land base in the Gastineau Channel for the display of a monumental whale sculpture," the letter said.

CCTHITA is a tribal government representing over 30,000 Tlingit and Haida Indians worldwide. It is a sovereign entity and has a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

Sealaska is the regional Native institution established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA). More than 22,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders own Sealaska.

On the Web:

Read the Letter
http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/sites/default/files/
Letter_HomelessnessOrdinance.pdf

Editing by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), Sealaska, the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) and the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC)

 

Representations of fact and opinions in comments posted are solely those of the individual posters and do not represent the opinions of Sitnews.

SitNews ©2017
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

Articles & photographs that appear in SitNews may be protected by copyright and may not be reprinted without written permission from and payment of any required fees to the proper sources. E-mail your news & photos to editor@sitnews.us Photographers choosing to submit photographs for publication to SitNews are in doing so granting their permission for publication and for archiving. SitNews does not sell photographs. All requests for purchasing a photograph will be emailed to the photographer.