Campers say intruders’ attempt to set tent on fire raises cold-season concerns beyond harsh weather
- Mark Sabbatini
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
Unhoused people at sites around town say they’re in ‘safe zones’ recommended by local officials providing assistance, but other violent incidents have occurred
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Adrian Barrett says she sought out a friend’s tent amidst a homeless encampment near the airport last week because "there’s safety in numbers." But during the early morning hours a couple intruders she says were teenagers tried to set the tent on fire and threw a metal fire pit inside, striking her friend.
It’s not the only instance of trouble since a large encampment on Teal Street that had stood for several months was dismantled by city officials 10 days ago, forcing people experiencing homelessness to seek out other sites around town, Barrett said. That means there’s also an ongoing conflict between people seeking places to pitch tents, and residents and businesses near those sites who may resent the campers’ presence.
The Teal Street encampment was taken down due to the need to keep streets and sidewalks clear for snowplowing during winter, according to city officials. Juneau’s official dispersed camping policy allows people to stay on public land as long as their presence doesn’t create right-of-way, safety, nuisance or other problems.
The city’s cold-weather emergency shelter has been open nightly since Oct. 15. But many unhoused people are continuing to camp — with some saying they’ll do so when the weather’s relatively mild, and one person interviewed Monday saying he’s been banned from the shelter for a week for violating its rules.
Barrett said the attack on the tent she was in occurred shortly before 3 a.m., with her companion suffering a head injury when struck by the fire pit. She said she also doesn’t feel like the Juneau Police Department took the matter seriously when she reported the attack.
"I've spoken with a couple of other people about who've experienced violent crimes recently who are homeless, and they also were not provided with any sort of case number or or any follow up on on their claims," Barrett said Monday. "They feel like they were just brushed aside and ignored because of the fact that we're homeless."
JPD Deputy Police Chief Krag Campbell, in an email to the Juneau Independent on Monday, said there is a reported incident similar to that described by Barrett at 2:47 a.m. Friday, but "we have limited details due to a lack of cooperation by victims."
Virginia McPhail, the other person staying in the tent, said Monday that another person at the camp ran after the people who tried to set the fire and got two letters from a license plate and a general description of a car the suspects drove away in. That was part of the information given to a police officer responding to the incident.
"One of the kids’ voices sounded familiar, actually," she said.
McPhail, who declined to seek medical assistance, was still at the campsite by the airport on Monday afternoon with a few other people gathered around a campfire. They said the site was among several public spots recommended by church officials who helped them move from Teal Street.
"We're at one of the suggested safe zones," said Douglas Ebey Worthington IV, among those at Monday’s campfire.
But Barrett, who said she’s enrolled in IT studies and doing contract work remotely, doesn’t feel safe.
"One of the things that I've been asking the police every time that they bust our camps or ask us to move is, ‘What is the definition of dispersed camping?’" she said. "Where are we allowed to go? We have to be somewhere. We have to be alive somewhere. You can't tell us that it's illegal to be alive and to be asleep. We need to know where it is allowed if you expect us to follow the law."
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
