Street people continue to be target of attacks, Fairbanks police say

[cleofus1]

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/6988021p-6889093c.html

FAIRBANKS -- Fairbanks police are again warning street people to be extra wary after receiving reports Saturday of two more attacks by groups of violent teenagers, one day after three suspects in another attack were arrested.

The youths are reportedly on bicycles, sometimes armed with baseball bats. They prey on people who are alone, vulnerable and sometimes intoxicated, according to police.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea for (street people) to be on heightened alert still," Lt. Dan Welborn said.

The string of beatings does not appear racially motivated, said police Chief Dan Hoffman. He issued a warning to street people last week to watch for potential attackers after Ulak Hope, 50, was severely beaten and the rash of assaults was brought to the Police Department's attention.

[bowens43]

1. Not racially motivated but

economically motivated. Is that any better?

[Toots]

16. I think it is more excitement motivated

The thrill of beating someone and not getting in trouble for it. Probably started when some guy wouldn't buy these punks some booze so they beat him, got off on it and started cruisin' looking for more to whoop on. This sort of stuff has been going on forever...

[SpiralHawk]

2. Clockwork Orange in our Bush New World

eom

[raccoon]

21. Yeah, it does sound just like CLOCKWORK ORANGE. nt

[cleofus1]

3. technically speaking

the article does not state that the beatings are not racially motivated...

it says..."The string of beatings does not appear racially motivated..."

but of course appearance is everything...

[mitchum]

4. And they can thank Saint Reagan for their plight

the reason I had no pity for that demented monster as he lay dying

[greekspeak]

5. Does this have anything to do with "homeless people are terraists?"

Anyone remember this?

[Ben Ceremos]

15. Actually,

I think is has more to do with the Republican tradition so aptly named by Jello Biafra in the DK song "Kill the Poor".

[raccoon]

20. No, did some (ahem) individual say THAT? nt

[greekspeak]

25. Soon before the hurricane, some government entity said that

terra-ists could be posing as homeless people and that we should avoid homeless people.

[raccoon]

26. (Intake breath) Know what? Terraists could be posing as

government entities, politicians, and pundits.

[callous taoboy]

6. Anchorage also is a hideously violent place:

Lived there during the 90's and was shocked at how violent some of the youths were. Gangs would beat Alaska Natives to death, homeless dudes would be found stabbed and they'd arrest some 17 year old punk.
Three teens shot a fourth teen to death with stolen handguns because the kid was accused of stealing a car stereo out of one of the murderer's car. Turned out it was someone else. Race riots at high schools, Samoan gangs conducting drive-bys resulting in the deaths of several young children: It seemed to never stop. It sucked living there.

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. Holy crap!

I had no idea!

My impressions of Alaska were formed by the earthquake footage from 1964, Jack London, pictures from Nenana building the railroad (a distant cousin worked on it in the 1920s), and the helicopter murderer guy in the 80s...I forget his name.

It'd be nice to only see the beautiful scenery, but unfortunately, it's more than that.

FSC

[cleofus1]

8. how about the

17 or so unsolved murders of native women....

[Judi Lynn]

9. They've been keeping this all quiet in the lower 48, for some reason.

I don't understand it at all. Evidently it would raise a lot of questions they don't want asked, since things aren't nearly as serene as we've been led to believe.

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Ain't no serenity in Alaska

The towns and cities are disappearing into liquefied sinkholes caused by the unnaturally warm weather, the oil industry disposes of its workers like they were used toilet paper, alcoholism is out of control, the military runs all its radio experiments there and regularly messes with anyone who so much as asks "what's that antenna over there for?", the Alaskan GOP controls all politics, there is tremendous emnity between the Inuits and the "Real Americans", there is a lot of drug-, alcohol-, and mental-illness-fueled crime, and it's also a haven for survivalists who are sure that Hillary is going to turn the continental US into a giant prison camp where no one will be allowed to own a gun or a Bible.

That's what happens when you treat an area, and its inhabitants, like a cheap, disposable resource. What a shame.

--p!

[cleofus1]

11. lots of good points...there

there are some good people that live up here...that don't drink of take drugs or aspire to hurt people...

like me and my pals...




of course we don't live in fairbanks

[Judi Lynn]

24. Great photo!Thanks for posting it.You must be happy to know these folks.nt

[Judi Lynn]

12. Thanks for your comments. Sure wish they couldn't cover it up

to the extent the rest of us without friends or contacts there, have been completely in the dark about this.

It sounds like the time couldn't be better for a turn to Democratic reprentatives, senators, governors, mayors, city councils.

I can only begin to imagine what kind of hell things can become if the MEpublicans have this much power in a state. I'll be listening a lot harder from now on when Alaska matters come up.

[cleofus1]

13. here's an old story

http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1054649768

with lots of info regarding some of the murders and violence against native women...

[Judi Lynn]

14. This is so sad that the murderer could simply kill her and no one

has been sent to jail. I cannot believe it. You have to wonder what the police are doing that they've failed so miserably not only on Ms. Brown, but all the others, too. That story can leave you in tears. From the article:

Alaska Native women comprise less than 4 percent of the population of Anchorage, yet account for 50 percent of the sexual assaults, Morris said.

Most violence against Native Americans is perpetrated by members of other ethnicities, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

"About seven in 10 violent victimizations of involved an offender who was described by the victim as someone of a different race," according the DOJ Web site.
(snip)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~It's hard to get info. on this, as a lot of the sources are unaccessible for some reason. This is wierd.

Wade begins life away from bars
by Sean Doogan
KTUU-TV

AnchorageAlaskaUSA - A man once charged with murder walked out of jail today. Four years after the murder of Della Brown, Joshua Wade is a free man. Although Wade was convicted of tampering with evidence, the Anchorage jury said he was not guilty of raping and murdering Della Brown.

In September 2000, Della Brown's life ended in a dark and dirty Spenard shed. Today, at exactly 7 a.m., the man accused but never convicted of her murder and rape, began life again. Joshua Wade began a life without bars, as he walked away from the Cook Inlet Pre-Trial Facility.

Wade spent over 52 months in jail, after being convicted for tampering with evidence by showing Brown's body to friends. He was charged with her murder as well, but on that charge, the jury was not convinced.

Wade's attorney at the time claimed his client was a scapegoat.

"He was an easy suspect because he'd been claiming credit. They could arrest him quickly and make great accusations against him, which when finally they were examined by a fair and impartial jury, turned to be without matter," Wade's lawyer Jim McComas said, in April 2003.
(snip/...)

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:KJ5RfCi0gYUJ:www.newsweek.co.uk/id/6733754/+%22Joshua+Wade%22+Alaska+murder&hl=en

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I know I'd suspect someone who had claimed responsibility! It really sounds like one lawless place if monsters like this one feel they can boost their own social standing by boasting about their acts of murder there.

I believe her mother is right. Surely.

[cleofus1]

17. he actually confessed to the murder

and he bragged about about having sex with the corpse...

tampering with evidence?

[Judi Lynn]

18. Oh, God. Holy smokes.

Can't imagine how sub-human his friends would have to be, to be impressed by that admission.

I had to wonder what on earth that tampering thing could possibly mean, for an innocent man, after all. The mere fact he knew her body was there condemns him in my eyes.

A human being would inform the police if he discovered it. No excuse is possible.

It sounds completely managed by people who didn't want him to go to prison.

[Tempest]

23. I lived in Fairbanks, and still have family there

I lived there in the late 1980s and planned to move back.

I have two sisters and a brother still living there and they said it's gotten so bad they recommend I don't go back.

It's not just the violence, but the increased poverty and the state and local government is letting the infrastructure in the city deteriorate.

The government also isn't doing anything about the increasing number of sinkholes appearing around the city because of the melting permafrost.

[DBoon]

22. Don't worry, Alaskans will have company

The rest of the country is being turned into a cheap, disposable resource.

Mining, agriculture, and cheap labor will be our main exports. The first two will be run by the abundant cheap, disposal workforce.

[DBoon]

19. what do you expect when a group is tagged as "sub human"

Mainstream right wingers believe the homeless deserve their fate for lacking a work ethic.

They have eliminated any sort of safety net, so that people who fall economically end up living like animals.

No surprise when some thugs take this all to heart and figure out they can assault the homeless without consequence.